Purpose
Responsible for the product creation of a broad portfolio of Lifestyle footwear silhouettes. Leads topics related to technical product construction, materials, process orientation, speed to market, efficiency, and margin expectations. Drives the process and manages projects while collaborating with Product Marketing, Design, T1 and T2 factories, suppliers, and Sourcing.
Key Accountabilities
- Ensures product briefs are executed and sample-making milestones are achieved in a fast-paced creation process.
- Establishes better working practices to advance processes.
- Drives collaboration with Global Lifestyle footwear Creation Centers, Design, Development, Sourcing, and T1/T2 suppliers.
- Builds close working relationships with T1 factories and suppliers to advance delivery against timelines.
- Manages and develops relationships with the T2 supply base to support localization, speed to market, material pricing targets, and material quality.
- Innovates across lifestyle footwear needs, including product construction, comfort concepts, materials, closures, seasonal executions, and solutions.
- Researches and formulates options to deliver improved price-to-value outcomes.
- Drives the product process and leverages category sourcing strategy to deliver gross margin and profitability objectives.
- Guides and challenges cross-functional departments to ensure product excellence.
- Develops and improves processes to drive leading product processes with speed and efficiency.
- Generates and provides technical support and training for junior team members.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Extensive footwear product knowledge across a variety of lifestyle silhouettes, with experience in development and working knowledge of product marketing, costing, materials, and T1 and T2 suppliers.
- Ability to influence all organizational levels and align external partners with company strategy.
- Comprehensive knowledge of shoe building from design sketch phase to ex-factory.
- Strong business acumen in channel distribution, net sales, margin, profit, and inventory.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced product creation environment.
- Knowledge of footwear construction and development.
- Good numerical and negotiation skills.
- Ability to redefine processes and find innovative approaches to product creation, with an emphasis on speed.
- Ability to present effectively to groups at all organizational levels.
- Skill in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
- Ability to travel internationally for consumer trend research and internal meetings and presentations.
Qualifications
- College or university degree.
- Minimum five years of related experience.
- Equivalent education or experience may be substituted for a degree.
- Experience in footwear development and sourcing is required; marketing experience is an advantage.
Culture
Adidas fosters an athlete’s mindset through courage, ownership, innovation, teamplay, integrity, and respect. The company emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of its culture and talent processes.