Project Manager
Rakuten Tech in Europe · Paris, France
Job Description:
The Cloud Platform Supervisory Department (CPSD) team is part of a global IT ecosystem spanning Japan, the US, Europe, and India. You will join the EU team based in Paris.
We design, operate, and evolve Rakuten's private cloud platform, supporting the global infrastructure that thousands of engineers and services depend on every day.
This is a role for someone who genuinely enjoys being at the center of complex technical work: understanding what the team is building, making sure projects move forward, and helping engineers focus on what they do best by handling everything around the engineering.
You will be the primary point of contact for project status, and the main interface with stakeholders in Paris and, when needed, with teams in Japan and the US.
The Mission
As part of the CPSD team, your responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
- End-to-end ownership of project delivery across infrastructure, network engineering, and platform initiatives, from initial scoping through to completion.
- Keeping a clear and up-to-date picture of every active project: status, risks, blockers, dependencies, and next steps.
- Identifying and removing blockers early, before they slow the team down, escalating when needed and following through until resolved.
- Working closely with engineers to understand what each project needs, coordinating the logistics, dependencies, and communication so the team can stay focused on delivery.
- Communicating project status clearly and regularly to leadership and, when necessary, to global teams in Japan and the US, adapting the level of detail to the audience.
- Using delivery data to spot patterns, identify where the team can improve, and bring concrete, actionable proposals to the table.
- Working with the team to set realistic timelines and expectations, pushing for completion in a way that is motivating, not overwhelming.
- Occasional travel to Japan or other Rakuten sites may be required.
Your Profile
You hold a degree in IT, engineering, or project management (or equivalent experience), and have a proven track record of delivering technical projects in an infrastructure or platform engineering environment.
You thrive at the center of complex, fast-moving projects. You take ownership naturally, keep things moving, and bring the clarity that lets the rest of the team focus on their work.
You are a confident communicator across cultures and time zones, whether you are running a team sync in Paris, writing an update for Tokyo, or presenting to a program manager in the US.
You are curious about data. You use it to understand how the team is delivering, where friction builds up, and how things could work better, and you enjoy finding the answers.
You'll be part of an international team, so fluent English is mandatory.
Required skills:
- A strong track record of delivering technical projects end-to-end, with genuine ownership and consistent follow-through, gained in an environment close enough to engineering to understand what projects actually involve, not just how to manage them on paper.
- Ability to work directly and effectively with network engineers, cloud engineers, and operations specialists, building trust and clarity without adding overhead.
- Comfort sitting in technical conversations without being the engineer: able to follow the discussion, evaluate risks independently, and ask the right questions to form your own view.
- Familiarity with working across Japan, the US, and European counterparts: aware of communication differences and able to adapt accordingly.
- Hands-on experience with delivery tooling: Jira, Confluence, and reporting tools such as Domo.
- Comfortable using AI-assisted productivity tools (e.g. Claude) as part of daily work.
Optional:
- Experience with cloud platforms (private or public: AWS, GCP, Azure), particularly on infrastructure or network projects.
- Familiarity with network or infrastructure concepts (BGP, VXLAN, datacenter environments), not required, but valued.
- Exposure to automation or scripting (Python, Ansible) in a project coordination context.
- Proficiency in Japanese would be a great plus 😊
As an employer, Rakuten Tech in Europe is committed to developing an inclusive working environment. Access to employment is open to all, regardless of gender, age, disability, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or social status.