Chief of Staff – RAN Business Unit

Job Description:

Chief of Staff – RAN Business Unit

Why should you choose us?

Rakuten Symphony is reimagining telecommunications through cloud-native, Open RAN and software-driven mobile network solutions. Built on the technology and operational expertise used to launch Japan's newest mobile network, Rakuten Symphony is transforming how operators build, deploy and operate mobile networks globally.

As the industry accelerates toward Open RAN, cloud-native architectures, AI-driven automation and software-defined networks, Rakuten Symphony is at the forefront of delivering innovative solutions that enable operators to deploy and operate networks faster, more efficiently, and at lower cost.

The Radio Access Network (RAN) Business Unit is a critical pillar of Rakuten Symphony's growth strategy, responsible for delivering world-class RAN software products, driving commercial success, and enabling customer deployments across global markets.

We are seeking exceptional leaders who thrive in fast-paced environments, embrace accountability, and are passionate about building industry-leading products and organizations.

Let's build the future of mobile telecommunications together.

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Designation: Chief of Staff – RAN Business Unit

Overview

The Chief of Staff to the President, RAN Business Unit, serves as a strategic partner and trusted advisor responsible for driving execution across business, product, engineering, customer, and operational priorities.

Reporting directly to the President of the RAN Business Unit, the Chief of Staff will help orchestrate cross-functional execution, establish operating rhythms, drive strategic initiatives, improve organizational effectiveness, and ensure alignment across engineering, product management, sales, customer delivery, and corporate functions.

This role requires a unique combination of strategic thinking, operational excellence, business acumen, and strong stakeholder management capabilities. The successful candidate will act as an extension of the President's office, helping accelerate decision-making and ensuring successful execution of key business objectives.

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Key Responsibilities

Strategic Planning & Business Execution

Partner with the President and leadership team to define, communicate, and execute the RAN Business Unit strategy.

Translate strategic priorities into measurable objectives, execution plans, and operating metrics.

Drive quarterly and annual business planning processes.

Monitor progress against key business goals and identify areas requiring leadership intervention.

Conduct market, customer, and competitive analysis to support strategic decision-making.

Support development of growth strategies, partnerships, and business expansion opportunities.

Business Operations & Governance

Establish and manage business operating rhythms, including staff meetings, business reviews, release reviews, customer escalation reviews, and executive reporting.

Drive organizational accountability through KPI tracking, action management, and performance dashboards.

Ensure alignment between business priorities, product roadmaps, engineering execution, and customer commitments.

Identify operational bottlenecks and drive corrective actions across functions.

Product & Engineering Program Management

Partner with Product Management and Engineering leadership to improve execution predictability, release quality, and delivery performance.

Track critical product development initiatives and ensure timely escalation of risks and dependencies.

Drive cross functional coordination for major product releases, customer commitments, and strategic programs.

Support prioritization discussions balancing customer requirements, product strategy, and engineering capacity.

Ensure visibility of program risks, mitigation plans, and execution status across leadership teams.

Commercial & Customer Success Support

Partner with Sales, Business Development, and Customer Delivery teams to support strategic customer engagements.

Help coordinate executive involvement in key customer opportunities and escalations.

Track strategic customer commitments and ensure alignment across internal stakeholders.

Support preparation for customer executive reviews, board meetings, and major business milestones.

Executive Communications & Decision Support

Prepare executive presentations, business reviews, strategy documents, and board-level materials.

Develop concise, data-driven recommendations to support decision-making.

Drive follow-up and closure of leadership actions and strategic initiatives.

Ensure effective communication flow across leadership teams and stakeholders.

Transformation & Organizational Effectiveness

Lead high-impact strategic initiatives sponsored by the President.

Drive process improvements across product development, engineering operations, and business management.

Support organizational design, workforce planning, and operating model improvements.

Foster a culture of accountability, transparency, collaboration, and execution excellence.

Leadership & Stakeholder Management

Build strong relationships across Engineering, Product Management, Sales, Customer Delivery, Operations, Finance, HR, and Corporate Functions.

Influence without authority and drive alignment across diverse stakeholder groups.

Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on business and organizational priorities.

Represent the President's office in key forums and leadership discussions when required.

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Qualifications Required

Master's degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Telecommunications, Computer Science, or related field.

10+ years of experience in telecommunications, software, networking, or technology industries.

Demonstrated experience in strategy, business operations, program management, product management, engineering leadership, consulting, or Chief of Staff roles.

Strong understanding of wireless telecommunications, mobile networks, Open RAN, 4G/5G technologies, or cloud-native network architectures.

Proven ability to drive complex cross-functional initiatives in matrix organizations.

Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and structured thinking skills.

Strong executive communication and presentation capabilities.

Experience working directly with senior executives and leadership teams.

Ability to manage ambiguity and drive outcomes in fast-paced environments.

Preferred

Experience in RAN, Open RAN, wireless infrastructure, telecom software, or network transformation programs.

Experience working with global customers and geographically distributed teams.

Background in product development, engineering operations, or management consulting.

Experience managing large-scale software development or telecom deployment programs.

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Success Metrics (First 12 Months)

The successful candidate will be expected to:

Improve visibility and predictability of RAN product delivery and release execution.

Establish robust business operating mechanisms and governance processes.

Improve cross-functional alignment between Product, Engineering, Sales, and Delivery organizations.

Accelerate execution of strategic business initiatives.

Improve executive decision-making through actionable metrics and insights.

Drive closure of critical business and organizational priorities.

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Personal Attributes

Strategic thinker with strong execution bias.

Highly organized and detail-oriented.

Strong sense of ownership and accountability.

Ability to influence without direct authority.

Excellent communicator and collaborator.

Comfortable challenging assumptions and driving difficult conversations.

High integrity and discretion when handling confid