General Counsel

Overview

As General Counsel, you will lead Rakuten Viber’s global legal, regulatory, privacy, compliance and corporate governance agenda from the executive team. You will shape risk-aware strategies that enable growth across product, technology, partnerships and markets while safeguarding the company’s integrity. You will partner with senior leadership to navigate complex regulatory environments and manage a global legal function and external counsel. This role blends strategic leadership with hands-on legal execution, guiding governance, investigations and material corporate matters. You will operate with a global, cross-cultural perspective to support new initiatives and ensure compliant, scalable,

Responsibilities

• Lead the global legal team: define priorities, structure and operating model; oversee major legal matters worldwide.
• Provide strategic guidance on commercial agreements, technology, IP, regulatory, employment and disputes; manage high-value negotiations.
• Manage relationships with external counsel and optimize use of outside resources.
• Develop scalable legal processes, templates, policies and playbooks to balance speed with risk.
• Partner with Product, Engineering and Technology on new products, features, business models and emerging tech (AI, advertising, payments, dating).
• Oversee global privacy, regulatory and compliance agenda with internal teams and Rakuten Group; ensure evolving legal compliance across markets.
• Advise leadership and the Board on corporate governance, risk, material matters and incidents; ensure escalation and reporting.

Key requirements

• 12+ years of legal experience with in-house leadership in a global technology, internet, telecommunications, fintech or consumer digital business.
• Licensed/qualified lawyer in a relevant jurisdiction.
• Proven experience advising senior executives and boards on complex legal and regulatory matters.
• Deep understanding of commercial technology law, privacy/data protection and regulatory frameworks.
• Experience leading legal teams across multiple countries and jurisdictions.
• Strong track record negotiating complex commercial and strategic agreements.
• Experience collaborating closely with product and technology functions.
• Experience managing regulatory matters, investigations, disputes and external counsel.
• Excellent corporate governance, risk management and compliance knowledge.
• Experience in a highly regulated or rapidly evolving technology environment is advantageous.

• Commercially minded
• Strategic thinker
• Hands-on and pragmatic
• Commercial technology law
• Privacy/data protection
• Regulatory compliance frameworks

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