Senior Analyst, Supply Chain (Mandarin, Chinese)

Job Description:

Here at Rakuten Kobo Inc., we offer a casual working start-up environment and a group of friendly and talented individuals. Our employees rank us highly in terms of commitment to work/life balance. We realize that for our people to be innovative, creative, and passionate, they need to feel valued and supported. We believe in rewarding all our employees with competitive salaries, performance-based annual bonuses, stock options, and training opportunities.

If you’re looking for a company that inspires passion, personal, and professional growth – join Kobo and help us make reading lives better.

The Role:

The Sr. Analyst, Supply Chain plays a pivotal role in optimizing Rakuten Kobo's global supply chain operations, directly impacting our ability to deliver a seamless reading experience to customers worldwide. This individual will be instrumental in ensuring efficient supply planning, procurement, order fulfillment, and reverse logistics for our eReader products and accessories. Reporting to the Sr. Manager, Supply Chain, this role requires a highly organized and analytical individual with a strong ability to prioritize, self-manage, and drive continuous improvement. The ideal candidate will be responsible for building the purchase quantity and the factory build plan, processing and managing orders, tracking statuses, and handling reverse logistics, while also proactively identifying and resolving discrepancies, anticipating stock issues, and collaborating with stakeholders to implement process optimizations. This role offers the opportunity to contribute strategically to our global supply chain team while executing critical day-to-day operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Vendor & ODM Management & Procurement:

  • Own day-to-day communication with Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) partners.
  • Coordinate with multiple vendors to negotiate and align delivery schedules, ensuring optimal flow of materials and products.
  • Build the monthly purchase quantity and the factory build plan — from the demand forecast, opening inventory, component lead times, MOQs (minimum order quantities) and the inventory coverage target — plan the transfer volumes between warehouse locations, and issue the resulting purchase orders (POs) to vendors.
  • Work closely with vendors to ensure aligned delivery schedules are met, proactively communicating any potential delays or issues.
  • Lead vendor onboarding processes, ensuring seamless integration of new partners into Kobo's procurement and operational frameworks.
  • Evaluate vendor performance to monitor on-time and in-full services, raising any issues related to order fulfillment or on-time delivery and following up on action items.
  • Implement procurement strategies to drive cost efficiencies and quality improvements across the supply chain.
  • Validate invoices, address, and resolve discrepancies with vendors and internal finance teams.

• Planning & Analysis:

  • Conduct comprehensive analysis of demand forecasts, ODM capacity, and supply plans to identify potential imbalances, risks, and opportunities. Provide data-driven insights and recommendations to management and cross-functional teams.
  • Analyze inventory levels and sales data to identify and communicate potential stock issues, recommending proactive solutions.
  • Track Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) costs on a per-project basis and provide trend analysis, insights, and summaries for senior management review.
  • Utilize advanced Excel skills to build and maintain supply chain models and reports, providing clear visibility into key performance indicators.

• Order Fulfillment & Logistics:

  • Communicate delivery schedules with related internal and external customers.
  • Determine whether each shipment moves by air or by ocean — projecting the forward inventory position against the coverage target and quantifying the freight cost difference.
  • Receive, validate, and process return requests efficiently and accurately.
  • Coordinate the return flow with the warehouse and receive the returned units at the factory; align on material availability and the output schedule; and issue the system transactions to produce and ship the finished units back to the warehouses.
  • Review and ensure all return order statuses are correct and up-to-date.

• Continuous Improvement & Documentation:

  • Proactively identify areas of improvement/process optimization opportunities and work with required stakeholders on scope and implementation.
  • Maintain and update all process documentation, ensuring best practices are captured and shared across the team.
  • Identify and investigate any discrepancies during the month-end process, providing clear explanations and resolutions.
  • Raise supply, delivery or inventory risks early and follow them through to resolution — escalating with a recommended course of action.
  • Other duties, including special projects as assigned by the Manager.

Qualifications:

• Experience:

  • 5–7 years of supply planning experience in a physical-product supply chain with overseas manufacturing — any sector.
  • Hands-on experience executing supply chain transactions in an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system — SAP, Oracle, NetSuite or comparable; the specific system does not matter.
  • Depth in supply planning — component lead times, MOQs (minimum order quantities), factory capacity and inventory coverage, and how they combine into a buildable plan.
  • Basic understanding of the product life cycle, with hands-on experience supporting new product and project launches.

• Education:

  • Post-secondary education in Business and/or Supply Chain Management.

• Skills:

  • Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (e.g., pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, data modeling) is essential for data analysis and reporting.
  • Excellent attention to detail and strong follow-up skills.
  • Organized, with a strong sense of ownership over areas of responsibility and the ability to work independently.
  • Strong interpersonal and client service skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with internal teams and external vendors across different cultures.
  • Proven analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate complex data into actionable insights and solutions.
  • High accuracy in system transaction work, with an understanding of why each step exists.
  • Ability to think strategically, prioritize, and execute tactically in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines.
  • Fluent Mandarin — required for daily communication with our overseas manufacturing partners.

The Perks:

• Flexible hours and hybrid remote working environment

• Subsidized in-office lunches

• Full benefits starting from your first day

• Paid Volunteer days, unlimited sick days, and 3% RRSP matching

• Flexible health spending account

• Talent and development training budget

• Free Kobo device + free weekly e-book or audiobook

• Frequent Lunch and Learns Author series

• Weekly Kobo Tech University sessions

• Maternity/paternity leave top up

About Rakuten Kobo Inc.

Owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten and headquartered in Toronto, Rakuten Kobo Inc. is one of the most advanced global ecommerce companies, with the world’s most innovative e-reading services offering more than 6 million eBooks and audiobooks to 30 million + customers in 190 countries. Kobo delivers the best digital reading experience through creative innovation, award-winning e-readers, and top-ranking mobile apps. Kobo is a part of the Rakuten group of companies.

Rakuten Kobo Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Accessibility accommodations for candidates with disabilities participating in the selection process are available on request. Any information received related to accommodation needs of applicants will be addressed confidentially.

Rakuten Kobo would like to thank all applicants for their interest in this role however only qualified candidates will be shortlisted.

#RKIND

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

Rakuten is an equal opportunity employer. Accessibility accommodations for candidates with disabilities participating in the selection process are available on request. Any information received related to accommodation needs of applicants will be addressed confidentially. 

As part of our Rakuten interview process, we encourage applicants to use their own words, rather than AI-generated content. Tell us your story in a way that's personal and authentic.

Rakuten would like to thank all applicants for their interest in this role however only qualified candidates will be shortlisted.

Beware of fraudulent job offers claiming to be from Rakuten. Rakuten does not send unsolicited job offers or request money during the recruitment process. Learn more: https://rakutenemploymentalert.com/

At the time of posting, Rakuten expects the Compensation (base salary + discretionary bonus) for this role to be within the range shown below. Individual compensation will vary based on job-related factors, including the skills, qualifications, and experience of the successful candidate as well as business need and geographic location. The successful applicant for this role will be eligible for stock options, health, vision, dental insurance, RRSP matching, Personal Time Off (PTO), Volunteer Time Off (VTO), and other employee benefits as the company implements.