Business Development Manager

Job Description:

Rakuten Group, Inc. is a global leader in internet services and has a diverse ecosystem spanning across e-commerce, fintech, communications and more serving approximately 1.8 billion members worldwide. Founded in Tokyo in 1997, the Group operates in over 30 countries and regions with more than 30,000 employees. Based in Singapore's Central Business District, Rakuten Asia Pte. Ltd. serves as the regional headquarters for Asia, driving value through areas such as advertising product development, product strategy, and data management to support Rakuten Group's global ecosystem. Learn more at: https://global.rakuten.com/corp/
 

Rakuten owns J.League club Vissel Kobe, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles baseball team in Japan, and the Rakuten Monkeys baseball team in Taiwan. The company has also built an impressive global sports portfolio through partnerships with the Golden State Warriors, FC Barcelona, Spartan, the Davis Cup and the Japan Open.

Building on this strong foundation, Rakuten Sports has evolved into a leading sports business and marketing agency specialising in commercial partnerships, sports advisory, talent representation and event development. We collaborate with leading sports rightsholders, athletes and event organisers to unlock commercial opportunities, broker strategic partnerships and create innovative experiences that connect fans with the sports they love.

Commercial Partnerships

As an agency, we have brokered and delivered strategic partnerships for leading brands and rights holders, including Titan FX's global ambassador partnership with Keisuke Honda, Vetreska's collaboration with Formula 1 driver Oliver Bearman, Toray's partnership with Japanese sprint star Sani Brown, securing the presenting and host partner for FISE Battle of the Champions at Studio City Macau, and securing and managing commercial partnerships with Japan Airlines, Lenovo, Bornan Sports and NEC for the Nagoya Asian Games 2026.

Talent Representation

Rakuten Sports manages Japanese basketball star and NBA player Yuki Kawamura, supporting his commercial partnerships, brand positioning and career development.

Event Creation & Delivery

Rakuten Sports has created and delivered premium sporting events across Asia, including the Rakuten Cup featuring FC Barcelona, Chelsea FC and Vissel Kobe, the NBA Japan Games in 2019 and 2022, three editions of the World University Basketball Series, FISE Battle of the Champions, and UpRising, a skateboarding event showcasing leading international skateboarders to fans across Japan.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Partnership Sales (80%)

• Own the end-to-end business development process by originating, developing and closing new commercial opportunities across sponsorship, media rights, event hosting and sports business consulting throughout Asia Pacific (excluding Japan).

• Identify, evaluate and originate new commercial opportunities across the sports and entertainment industry aligned with Rakuten Sports' long-term growth strategy.

• Develop tailored commercial proposals that align client business objectives with innovative sports marketing solutions.

• Build and manage a robust pipeline of prospective partners through proactive business development, strategic networking and consultative sales engagement.

• Collaborate closely with Rakuten teams across Japan, Taiwan and global markets to unlock cross-border commercial opportunities and maximise the strength of the Rakuten ecosystem.

• Maintain accurate sales forecasts, pipeline reporting and CRM updates to ensure visibility across commercial activities.

Sales Support (20%)

• Monitor industry trends, emerging properties and commercial developments to identify new business opportunities.

• Provide recommendations on market expansion opportunities by developing strong relationships with rights holders, event organisers, governing bodies and media partners across the region.  

• Support contract negotiations, commercial documentation, forecasting and account administration to ensure successful deal execution.

• Proactively engage with teammates across other business divisions to identify new opportunities and to seek cross-functional collaboration, alignment and strategic priorities.

Mandatory Requirements

• 6-8 years of experience in sports sponsorship, media rights, sports marketing or commercial partnership sales with a proven track record of achieving revenue targets.

• Deep understanding of the sports business ecosystem, including rights holders, international federations, sponsors, agencies, broadcasters and media platforms.

• Ability to understand client business objectives and translate them into compelling commercial partnership solutions.

• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to identify opportunities and develop creative commercial solutions.

• Demonstrated ability to engage and influence senior decision-makers and C-suite executives

• Excellent business acumen and analytical skills

• Self-motivated, resilient and comfortable working both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced international environment.

• Strong planning, organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

• Excellent presentation, negotiation, communication and stakeholder management skills with a strong client-service orientation.

• Excellent proficiency in written and spoken English. Proficiency in Japanese is an advantage.

Rakuten is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications regardless of sex, marital status, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, religious belief, or age.