Senior Manager, Advanced Chemicals

Purpose

• A key player in Global Sourcing in driving Sourcing’s vision to be the Most Agile, Most Competitive, Most Digitalized & Cleanest Supply Base in the industry
• Drive engineering & manufacturing innovations on both process and product levels, from concept validation to full deployment, to create overall industrial competitiveness
• Take priority action as a consultant pool of technical experts guiding to a world-class supply of rubber, EVA, PU, injected plastic components, ink/paint, textile coloration, finishing processes, adhesives, and other chemical products and their manufacturing processes

Key Responsibilities

• Research sporting goods, technologies, and supply partners via pulse checks and other industries to benchmark and identify opportunities for innovative technologies, processes, or materials that enhance industrial competitiveness
• Understand the IP (Intellectual Property) landscape and proactively raise potential IP filing opportunities with the team and brand legal
• Collaborate in project teams for engineering and manufacturing innovation, from concept validation to full deployment, contributing technical expertise throughout readiness levels, gate 1 & 2 meetings, and scalability phases
• Identify challenges and opportunities during innovation readiness stages and initiate necessary workstreams, focusing on performance, efficiency, cost, and sustainability
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date project data and engage with the PMO for guidance and support as needed
• Receive seasonal compound requests from product creation teams and guide supply partners in experimentation, formulation, testing, and transitioning from development to production
• Own the Material Lifecycle Management system for bottom material creation and management (clean-ups)
• Validate and release new bottom material suppliers and raw materials
• Provide technical consulting feedback to materials teams for:
  • New bottom component tier 2 supplier onboarding via technical assessment
  • Seasonal strategic capacity recommendations
  • Seasonal validation of compound and pigment formulations for final price list
  • Technical solutions for large-scale chemistry-related quality issues or claims
• Annually update A-01 policy related to chemistry topics and relevant projects/reports
• Ensure all sourcing operations comply with adidas’ Responsible Sourcing & Purchasing Policy, internal standards, and legal requirements
• Role model leadership to foster a culture of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Key Relationships

• Global Sourcing: costing, materials operations, sourcing operations, sustainability sourcing, engineering and manufacturing innovation teams
• HQ Innovation: innovation management, materials creation, sustainability, and product development teams
• External stakeholders: sourcing suppliers

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of polymer chemistry and other chemical products, including formulations, processing, machinery, and physical testing in the following specialties:
  • 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 skills for problem-solving and project planning/delivery
• Ability to explain highly technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• Visionary mindset with awareness of industry trends and consumer needs
• Basic understanding of costing principles
• Strong influencing, presentation, and communication skills
• Proven ability to lead multidimensional project teams
• Fluent in English (written and spoken)
• Proficient in Microsoft Office

Requisite Education and Experience

• University degree in Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Textile Engineering, or related engineering fields
• Minimum 7+ years of relevant experience