Global Sales Analyst (15-month contract)

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 come help us on our mission of making reading lives better.

The Role:

Reporting to the Mgr. Global Supply Chain, the Global Sales Analyst role requires a team oriented, analytical, & interpretive individual with strong database and communication skills. This position involves in depth analysis of retail sales results, identifying market trends as well as a solid understanding of consumer demand and sales forecasting process.  It also entails working and communicating with multiple internal stakeholders as well as with external retailers. The candidate will be a key contributor to the Toronto Sales Analyst Team. 
 

The Skillset:

POS Analysis

• Prepare and analyze weekly retail sales results to determine impact on account forecasts
• Identify market trends across countries, categories, and SKUs
• Evaluate the impact of promotional and marketing activities on retail sales
• Conduct product life cycle analysis
• Analyze customer sales and inventory information to identify sales opportunities  
• Assess inventory levels, weeks of supply, and provide inventory projections for Kobo customers

Demand Forecasting

• Ensure forecasts are accurate and reflective of retail activities
• Maintain internal demand forecast scenarios
• Evaluate and measure actual forecast performance against objectives
• Collaborating with partner managers to understand market trends and align forecasts accordingly
• Track and analyze promotional plans and results to determine impact on the forecast
• Understand supply chain, demand planning, and inventory balancing

Process Automation & Report Maintenance

• Produce POS retail sales reports and analysis on a weekly basis
• Generate actual vs. forecasts and gap reports on a monthly basis
• Understand and evaluate sales risks & opportunities
• Assist with stock allocation
• On a seasonal basis create year-over-year reports
• Analyze customer purchasing patterns using eCommerce sales data
• Locked forecast analysis and forecast accuracy

 Process & System Improvement

• Identify opportunities for process automation to increase departmental efficiency
• Provide administrative and analytics support for the analysis team during key cross-functional monthly meetings
• Liaise within Kobo Supply Chain and cross-functionally as required
• Be the Kobo liaison for all operational and supply chain related inquires

 Qualifications:

• 3 -5 years of experience in analytics or a similar role
• Post Secondary education in a related field
• Solid understanding of global supply chain in a CPG company
• High proficiency in MS Office, particularly advanced Excel, VBA (Excel Macro) and database applications
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with proven ability for root-cause analysis
• Experience in forecasting and analyzing sales reports for retail or CPG companies
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence senior management decisions and engage with sales managers
• Creative thinker with ability to communicate and present ideas effectively
• A great personality and a passion for dabbling with numbers and process automation

The Perks:

• Flexible hours and hybrid remote working environment
• Subsidized in-office lunches
• Four extended long weekends in the summer
• Full benefits starting from your first day
• Work From Anywhere Program for up to 3 months (90 days)
• Lifestyle spending account
• Talent and development training budget
• Free Kobo device + free weekly e-book or audiobook
• Weekly Kobo Tech University sessions
• Dog friendly office

About Rakuten Kobo Inc.
Rakuten Kobo Inc. is the world’s digital bookseller created by and for booklovers. Owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten Group, Inc. and headquartered in Toronto, Rakuten Kobo’s millions of worldwide users can read anytime, anywhere, and on any device. With a mission to make reading lives better for all, Rakuten Kobo connects readers to stories using thoughtful and personalized curation of eBooks and audiobooks, and the best dedicated eReaders and apps for reading. With the singular focus of making reading lives the best they can be, Kobo’s open platform allows people to fit reading into more moments in their busy lives. To learn more about Rakuten Kobo, visit www.kobo.com.

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.  

#RKIND2

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. 

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 for this role to be within the range shown below. Individual compensation may 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 may be eligible for employee benefits as the company implements.