Manager, Product Creation (sportwear) - Pooling

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

Support the respective Sportwear FTW Creation Hub or Category, working with a team of Product Creation professionals to deliver against the stated seasonal objectives and longer term aspirations for Sportswear Footwear.

Key Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the Senior Manager of Product Creation and Sourcing Partners to build amazing product for the Sportswear consumer.
• Develop new product/product concepts to exceed consumer and customer expectations, ensuring costing, aesthetic, timelines, and quality goals are all met.
• Lead/refine/develop industry leading speed & service models – to enable the adidas brand to take on these ways of working into the wider group.
• Identify business opportunities and risks; respond to them by initiating key action steps and with relevant BU functions and x-functional partners.
• Lead by example, a decision maker able to challenge the status quo to deliver results.
• Presents Range both internally & externally (Ops/Sourcing/T1).
• Ensures maintenance of all the product information systems.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Experience interpreting design intent, offering alternative solutions, and acting as a technical resource.
• Proficient working with factory vendors to ensure and improve manufacturability.
• Ability to participate in multiple seasonal projects with competing resources and deadlines
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a keen awareness of the audience. Knowing when to dive deep into the details and when to simplify the complexity.
• Unique blend of marketing, development and sourcing experience to suit the Sportswear FTW business model
• Ability to work with and influence all levels of the organization
• Comprehensive understanding of consumer markets, specifically in the sporting goods industry
• Strong business and costing acumen within Footwear
• Prior knowledge of taking product from conception through implementation preferred
• Knowledge of footwear concepts in construction/development strongly preferred
• Good numerical skills with the ability to negotiate
• Skill in MS Office applications (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Smartsheet)
• Ability to travel, domestic and international.

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• Four-year college or university degree, preferably in Marketing/Business
• Minimum three (3) years related experience
• Equivalent education and/or experience may be substituted for degree
• Experience in Footwear Marketing and or development