Chief UI Designer, Customer Strategy Department - Platform Strategy Supervisory Department (CSD)
On-siteTokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Job Summary
Develop and drive design strategy across the Rakuten Ecosystem, translating business and brand strategy into user-facing design expressions. Define creative concepts, tone, and manner while ensuring consistency in visual guidelines across products and services. Collaborate with UX designers, engineers, and marketers to lead innovation using generative AI and new technologies. Mentor team members and build a strong design culture within the Platform Strategy Division. This role operates within the Customer Strategy Department under the COO, focusing on cross-functional initiatives that drive ecosystem growth. The team includes approximately 15 members across web, UX, UI, and front-end engineering.
Required Qualifications
- Takes responsibility for design output and is committed to quality improvement
- Possesses a strategic mindset and can drive business and brand growth through design
- Demonstrates excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
- Applies analytical and research-driven decision-making
- Operates with an art director mindset, guiding brand expression
- Values teamwork and acts with an organization-wide perspective
- Shows interest in mentoring and supporting designer development
- Maintains curiosity toward business, marketing, and technology
- Embraces change and proactively incorporates new design processes
- 5+ years of UI design experience for web, mobile, or app environments
- Experience in strategic design proposals and creative direction
- Experience developing UI concepts and design guidelines based on business and brand strategy
- Advanced proficiency with Figma, Adobe XD, and relevant tools
- Experience designing or directing motion design and animation
- Experience providing feedback and conducting design reviews
- Strong presentation and stakeholder engagement skills
- Business-level Japanese
- Understanding and practical application of Design Thinking or HCD
Desired Qualifications
- Experience creating design strategies based on personas or key journeys
- Experience building or supervising design systems using Material Design or HIG
- Experience in art direction, visual concept creation, and production supervision
- Knowledge of motion design and animation direction
- Understanding of HTML, CSS, JavaScript and experience working with engineers
- Experience supervising design across multiple media channels (brand tools, DTP, etc.)
- Experience improving design processes or workflows at organizational level
- Experience utilizing new technologies such as generative AI or real-time rendering for creative innovation
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