Senior Director of Digital Marketing, Rakuten Kobo
15 Month Contract
+ Performance based annual bonuses + Stock options
Digital bookseller
Open for applications
Digital bookseller
501-1000 employees
Open for applications
+ Performance based annual bonuses + Stock options
501-1000 employees
Company mission
To bring the power of reading to the world.
Role
Who you are
- 10+ years of progressive experience in digital marketing leadership roles, preferably within a global, consumer-focused organization
- Proven track record of leading multi-channel digital marketing strategies that drive measurable business growth
- Deep understanding of performance marketing, brand digital awareness and advertising
- Demonstrated experience in strategic forecasting and investment modeling — assessing potential growth outcomes under varying budget and market conditions
- Strong analytical mindset, with the ability to interpret data, extract insights, and translate them into actionable strategies
- Demonstrated experience leading and developing high-performing teams across multiple disciplines
- Exceptional cross-functional collaboration and communication skills, with experience influencing at the executive level
- Strategic thinker with a hands-on approach, able to set vision and direction while managing executional excellence
- Experience managing large budgets and optimizing digital spend for efficiency and impact
- Up-to-date knowledge of digital trends, emerging technologies, and best practices
What the job involves
- The Digital Marketing team is seeking a Senior Director, Digital Marketing to join our team for a 15 month parental leave contract
- Reporting to the Vice President, Digital Marketing, the Senior Director will be the driving force behind the digital marketing strategy, bringing a visionary approach to maximize brand representation, elevate the customer experience, and integrate seamlessly with the broader marketing goals
- You will be responsible for identifying global market opportunities in approximately 20 different countries, optimizing all digital marketing channels to drive global growth, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver impactful online solutions
- Your expertise will guide a talented team of performance digital marketers - SEM, Affiliates, Social and agency partners for full funnel digital strategy and execution that deliver efficiently on customer acquisition and sales growth
- Lead the development and execution of a full funnel digital marketing and advertising strategy that drives brand awareness, engagement, and conversion across all digital touchpoints
- Build and model strategic marketing forecasts and investment scenarios across geographies, outlining potential performance outcomes based on varying levels of spend, channel mix, and market conditions
- Oversee brand digital and performance marketing to ensure alignment with brand and business objectives
- Partner with Analytics, Product, Creative, and Brand teams to deliver integrated, data-driven campaigns that support customer acquisition, retention, and lifetime value
- Leverage cross-functional input and insights along with business analytics on CPAs and LTVs to inform decision-making, optimize spend, and measure the ROI of digital initiatives
- Champion digital innovation by identifying emerging trends, technologies, and channels to enhance brand visibility and competitive advantage
- Build, mentor, and inspire a high-performing team of performance marketing professionals, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement
- Oversee digital agency and vendor relationships to ensure best-in-class execution and performance
- Drive global marketing scalability by creating frameworks, tools, and best practices that enable regional teams to adapt and execute effectively
- Partner with leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to align digital marketing efforts with broader brand, communications, and business strategies
- Ensure digital marketing efforts adhere to brand standards, accessibility, privacy regulations, and compliance best practices
Application process
- Rakuten Kobo would like to thank all applicants for their interest in this role however only qualified candidates will be shortlisted
Our take
Long-form content is having a resurgence. That’s great news for the e-reader industry, of which Rakuten’s Kobo battles with Amazon’s Kindle for ownership.
The e-reader giant has changed tack in recent years to pursue growth via integrations and partnerships. A notable example is its native device integration with Pocket, a wishlist app loved by millions of readers.
The company is hoping that these partnerships and product improvements will allow it to finally break the US market where it most struggles for market share with Kindle.
Amazon has consistently shown its willingness to drop prices to protect its position in any market it plays in. That means that Kobo will have to demonstrate true product superiority to make a dent while protecting its margins.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Company benefits
- "Work from anywhere" policy
- Flexible hours
- Internet/phone/commuting allowance
- Daily meal allowance when in the office
- $500 CAD flexible spending account
- Parental leave top-up
- Unlimited sick and mental health days
- 4-day summer holiday weekends
- RRSP matching, bonus and stock options
- Free Kobo eReader
- Free weekly book of your choice
- Volunteer time off
Company HQ
Liberty Village, Toronto, ON
Leadership
Michael Tamblyn
(CEO)Part of the founding team of Kobo, Michael previously held the role of Chief Content Officer. Michael has also been the founding CEO of the supply chain agency, BookNet Canada and co-founded Canada’s first online bookstore, Bookshelf.ca, purchased by Indigo Books & Music in 1998.
Anna Giagkou
(CFO)Prior to joining Rakuten Kobo in 2021, Anna was the CFO of Cox Automotive Canada.
Nimod Narayanan
(CTO)Nimod joined Rakuten Kobo in 2022 as VP of Technology, he then became the SVP of Technology in 2023, and CTO in 2025. Prior to this, he spent nearly 4 years at Rogers Communications joining as a Senior Development Manager before becoming a Director of eCommerce & Personalization and then Senior Director of Digital Platforms & Services.
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