Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization
At adidas, we believe that Sport has the power to change lives. As Senior Manager (Category Lead) for Performance in Southeast Asia, you will own and lead the regional category strategy across performance categories, ensuring adidas delivers credible innovation, commercial scale, and strong consumer relevance across diverse SEA markets.
This role is accountable for translating Global and Emerging Markets category and franchise strategies into regionally relevant, consumer-centric, and commercially strong assortments, balancing elite performance credibility with scalable commercial opportunities. You will act as the regional Performance category authority, shaping category direction, franchise priorities, and commercial success across SEA markets and channels.
Key Responsibilities
- Category Strategy & Leadership: Own and lead the regional category for Performance categories; lead future category planning; identify whitespace opportunities, portfolio gaps, and long-term growth drivers; define category objectives, KPIs, and success metrics.
- Assortment & Line Architecture: Lead assortment strategy and category line planning, manage range KPIs, optimize assortments using sell-in, sell-out, and consumer data, and lead category readiness for seasonal go-to-market milestones.
- Marketplace & Commercial Performance: Shape sell-in strategies, franchise management, key account priorities, and marketplace activations; drive post-season analysis and buy reviews; own category pricing architecture and Go-In-Margin tracking.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Brand, GTM, MOPS, Demand Planning, Supply Chain, and Finance teams, serving as the key link between Emerging Markets Category teams and SEA markets.
- Consumer & Market Insights: Embed consumer insights, trend research, and marketplace intelligence into category decisions and monitor category trends, franchise performance, and the competitive landscape.
- People & Stakeholder Leadership: Lead, coach, and develop category team members or dotted-line market counterparts; build collaborative relationships across the regional and global matrix; influence without authority.
Key Relationships
Internal: EM Category Teams, SEA Market Leadership, Brand, GTM, MOPS, Commercial, Demand Planning, SCM, and Finance.
External, as relevant: Key wholesale and retail partners.
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
- 8–12 years of experience in category management, merchandising, or commercial roles, ideally within a global consumer or sportswear brand.
- Experience working in regional or multi-market environments, preferably in Southeast Asia.
- Strong understanding of retail, wholesale, and DTC dynamics.
- Expertise in assortment planning, line architecture and pricing, and category performance management.
- Strong commercial and analytical acumen, with the ability to turn data into clear actions.
- Experience working within seasonal GTM processes and milestones.
- Fluent in Excel, merchandising tools, and analytics platforms.
- Strategic thinker with a strong execution mindset and the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
- Collaborative, inclusive, and consumer-obsessed.
Culture and Inclusion
At adidas, employees are encouraged to demonstrate courage, ownership, innovation, teamplay, integrity, and respect. adidas believes that embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into its culture and talent processes creates belonging and strengthens its connection with consumers and communities.