Manager Advanced Chemicals Footwear

PURPOSE

• Act as a key player in Global Sourcing, driving the vision to be the Most Agile, Most Competitive, Most Digitalized & Cleanest Supply Base in the industry.
• Lead engineering and manufacturing innovations at both process and product levels—from concept validation to full deployment—to enhance overall industrial competitiveness.
• Serve as a technical consultant, guiding world-class supply of rubber, EVA, PU, injected plastic components, ink/paint, textile coloration, finishing processes, adhesives, and other chemical products.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Research sporting goods, technologies, and supply partners through pulse checks and benchmarking across industries to identify opportunities for innovative technologies, processes, or materials that create competitive advantage.
• Understand and navigate the Intellectual Property (IP) landscape.
• Collaborate in project teams to develop and deploy engineering and manufacturing innovation concepts, ensuring readiness through Gate 1 & 2 meetings and scalability across assigned projects.
• Identify challenges and opportunities during innovation readiness stages; initiate workstreams focused on performance, efficiency, cost, and sustainability.
• Manage seasonal compound requests from product creation teams; guide supply partners in experimentation, formulation, testing, and transitioning from development to production.
• Own Material Lifecycle Management system for bottom material creation and management (including clean-ups).
• Provide technical feedback to Operations/Materials teams for supplier onboarding, costing, and quality.
• Ensure compliance with adidas’ Responsible Sourcing & Purchasing Policy, standards, and legal requirements across all sourcing operations.
• Role-model leadership to foster a culture of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for an inclusive workplace.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

• Internal: Global Sourcing (costing, materials operations, sourcing operations, sustainability sourcing, engineering & manufacturing innovation), HQ innovation teams, innovation management, materials creation, sustainability, and Product Development.
• External: Sourcing suppliers.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Advanced knowledge of polymer chemistry and chemical products, including formulations, processing, machinery, and physical testing in:
  • Solid: Rubber, injected plastic components, textiles
  • Liquid: Ink/paint, textile coloration, dyes/finishing chemicals, adhesives, primers
  • Gas: EVA, PU, TPU, and other chemical foams
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to plan and deliver projects effectively.
• Ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Innovative mindset; constantly challenges the status quo.
• Basic understanding of costing principles.
• Excellent influencing, presentation, and communication skills.
• Fluent in English (written and spoken).
• Proficient in Microsoft Office.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• University degree in Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Textile Engineering, or related fields.
• Minimum 5+ years of relevant experience.