Senior Manager Category Management Lifestyle - EM South

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organisation

The Category Management team develops product ranges by category to meet the needs of local consumers profitably. This role delivers a globally aligned and locally relevant Lifestyle product range for EM South, covering Originals and Sportswear, while driving sales growth, profitability, and market share across channels.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and define the Lifestyle product strategy with the CTC Director, including lifecycle management for key franchises.
• Develop a channel- and account-segmented product range across Footwear, Apparel, and Accessories.
• Lead the go-to-market process and collaborate with channels and customers to build the strongest viable product mix.
• Manage pricing, margin, product mix, net sales, and profitability across Lifestyle.
• Own product demand forecasting and analyze consumer, marketplace, competitor, assortment, pricing, sell-through, and sell-out trends.
• Drive cluster range enhancements and coordinate with the Lifestyle Hub and Local Sourcing teams.
• Own range architecture, including range guidance, brand focus, and local pricing requirements.
• Maintain accurate product data through the pricing matrix.
• Support seasonal Brand Activations by aligning with Brand Activation and Omni teams and providing sports marketing support.
• Lead, coach, and develop direct reports.

Key Relationships

• Director CTC & Mops EM South
• EMS Cluster Category Management Team
• Cluster Demand Planning Team
• EMS commercial channel teams, including DTC, E-commerce, and wholesale
• EM business units

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Marketing, merchandising, category management, planning, assortment planning, or retail experience with a strong record of success.
• Strong presentation, communication, influencing, numerical, and analytical skills.
• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Office skills, especially Excel and PowerPoint.
• Structured, organized, process-oriented, and able to work effectively under pressure in a team environment.
• Preferred exposure to retail, apparel, fashion, or FMCG.

Education and Experience

• University degree in Marketing or Business.
• 10+ years of equivalent professional experience in Category Management or Merchandising.
• At least 3 years of people leadership experience.
• Fluent in English.

Adidas Culture

Adidas fosters an athlete’s mindset through courage, ownership, innovation, teamplay, integrity, and respect. The company emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusion to create belonging and connect authentically with consumers and communities.