Purpose and overall relevance for the organization
At adidas, Global Business Services (GBS) delivers consistent, end-to-end business solutions across the company. The Manager Accounts Payable Subject Matter Expert leads initiatives that enhance efficiency, productivity, and process excellence within Accounts Payable. The role combines Lean Six Sigma methodologies, productivity frameworks, and digital enablers such as automation, analytics, and process mining to deliver savings, service improvements, and transformation projects.
Key responsibilities
- Productivity and continuous improvement: Lead the identification, prioritization, and execution of productivity initiatives delivering cost optimization, FTE efficiency, and backlog reduction.
- Drive improvements for Accounts Payable processes, including Payment on Time, reconciliation, posting quality assurance, open items, and APWF, by identifying root causes and defining action plans.
- Stakeholder and change management: Gather stakeholder requirements, analyze data, and propose improvements for process simplification, standardization, and automation.
- Lead reviews and follow-ups on critical supplier accounts, deliver reports to local Finance teams, and support APWF, Goods Receipts, Purchase Orders, and invoice-processing resolution across the Americas.
- Capability building and culture: Facilitate process standardization, harmonization, and automation.
- Serve as the process expert, providing expertise, training, and guidance across Accounts Payable activities in line with current taxonomy, DTPs, and global procedures.
Key relationships
Internal relationships include GPO, GBS Delivery Excellence, GBS Finance Operations, local market Finance, Procurement, and IT support teams. External relationships include vendors, suppliers, and other third-party stakeholders.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Finance, or a related field; a master’s degree is preferred.
- Lean Six Sigma certification, with Yellow Belt as a minimum.
- More than three years of experience in Continuous Improvement, Productivity, or Operational Excellence, and more than three years of operational Accounts Payable experience.
- Understanding of end-to-end procurement, Accounts Payable, and Travel and Expenses processes.
- Experience with SAP, Concur, Ariba, FIP, and APWF.
- Experience in process design, mapping, quality improvement, review, and compliance.
- Experience managing productivity initiatives with measurable FTE, cost, and service KPI impact.
- Advanced data analysis and visualization skills using Power BI, Excel, SQL, or similar tools.
- Experience with Power Apps, RPA, AI, Smartsheet, process mining, or SharePoint.
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills in English and Spanish.
- Strategic thinking, problem-solving, and influencing skills to drive results without direct authority.
Leadership and culture
The role is expected to demonstrate adidas leadership behaviors including brand passion, ownership, innovation, inclusion, team development, accountability, continuous growth, courage, integrity, respect, and teamplay.