Business Development Representative

Job Description:

About Rakuten International

Rakuten International is a division of Rakuten Group, Inc., a Japanese global technology leader in services that empower individuals, communities, businesses and society. Headquartered in San Mateo, California with more than 4,000 employees worldwide, the Rakuten International business portfolio includes market leaders in e-commerce, digital marketing, advertising, communications and entertainment. We create products and services that provide exceptional value by aligning members and the businesses that want to engage them in a shared community.

About Rakuten Advertising

Rakuten Advertising provides advertising technology and consumer insights to the world's leading brands and retailers. Working with agencies and brands around the world, Rakuten Advertising unites technology, client strategy and consumer insights to deliver advertising experiences that drive increased brand awareness and marketing performance. With access to Rakuten's diverse media properties and audiences, combined with an award-winning performance network and proprietary consumer research, Rakuten Advertising creates the right conditions to reach new customers and sustain long-lasting loyalty.

Summary

Rakuten Advertising is seeking a motivated Business Development Representative (BDR) to drive pipeline growth in the UK market. As the first point of contact with prospective clients, you will research, engage, and qualify new opportunities, setting high-quality appointments for our sales team. This role requires curiosity, resilience, and a consultative approach to uncover client needs and effectively position Rakuten Advertising's solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Prospecting & Research - Identify and research target accounts, decision-makers, and new business opportunities using prospecting tools.
• Outreach & Engagement - Execute multi-channel outreach (calls, emails, LinkedIn) with tailored, value-driven messaging.
• Lead Qualification - Conduct discovery conversations, qualify leads against criteria, and consistently hit meeting and opportunity targets.
• Appointment Setting - Book high-quality sales meetings, ensuring smooth handoff and strong preparation for the sales team.
• Reporting & Collaboration - Keep Salesforce and sales tools updated, track key activity metrics, and share market insights with sales and marketing teams.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication skills (phone, email, written) and strong organizational ability.
• Resilient, adaptable, and comfortable working in a dynamic environment.
• Consultative, curious, and motivated to progress into senior sales roles.
• Goal-oriented, self-motivated, and effective working independently or in a team.

Minimum Requirements

• 2+ years in business development, sales development, or similar role.
• Familiarity with Salesforce and sales engagement tools (e.g., Gong, Salesloft, Outreach, ZoomInfo, Apollo.io).
• Bachelor's degree in Sales, Marketing, Business, or related field.
• Hybrid: 3 days per week in the London office.
• Knowledge of digital advertising a plus; additional languages (Spanish, French, German, Italian) an advantage.

Five Principles for Success
Our worldwide practices describe specific behaviors that make Rakuten unique and united across the world. We expect Rakuten employees to model these 5 Shugi Principles of Success.

Always improve, Always Advance - Only be satisfied with complete success - Kaizen
Passionately Professional - Take an uncompromising approach to your work and be determined to be the best
Hypothesize - Practice - Validate - Shikumika - Use the Rakuten Cycle to succeed in unknown territory
Maximize Customer Satisfaction - The greatest satisfaction for our teams is seeing their customers smile
Speed!! Speed!! Speed!! - Always be conscious of time - take charge, set clear goals, and engage your team

Client-provided location(s): London, United Kingdom

Job ID: Rakuten-RakutenAdvertising-1028627

Employment Type: FULL_TIME

Posted: 2025-08-29T20:08:26