Product Owner jobs in United States, Colorado, Denver

Key Responsibilities

• This is a hybrid role between BB Development and Athlete Product Excellence (APEX).
• Lead the full development process for assigned footwear projects, with a focus on engineering excellence, athlete-driven performance, and innovative problem-solving.
• Partner directly with athletes, product management, and design to translate sport-specific needs and biomechanical insights into footwear solutions that enhance performance on court.
• Collaborate with suppliers and factories to develop new construction methods, materials, and manufacturing processes that push the boundaries of basketball footwear.
• Engineer products for both elite custom solutions (athlete-specific footwear) and scalable inline performance models, balancing innovation, manufacturability, and cost efficiency.
• Provide technical solutions through rapid prototyping, materials analysis, and applied biomechanics, ensuring all designs meet adidas quality standards.
• Drive accuracy and timeliness across systems and samples, while achieving key KPIs (margins, sustainability, on-time delivery).
• Mentor junior team members, fostering a culture of innovation, technical curiosity, and continuous improvement.
• Support cross-functional innovation projects that influence the future of performance footwear.
• Support local athlete visits and/or on the road visits for product testing with athletes
• Act as liaison between the Inline Development and Athlete Product Excellence teams (APEX)
• Drive performance creation process with Inline & APEX teams at key milestones with test samples, tech files, athlete insights, key sizes, etc.
• Manage, confirm and upload CADs for key athlete projects.

Key Relationships

• Sports Marketing
• Product Management
• Design
• Advanced Creation (Testing & Quality)
• Sourcing & Factories
• Tooling & Pattern Engineering
• Digital Creation & Materials Teams

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Deep knowledge of the footwear creation process (lasts, patterns, construction, tooling, testing).
• Strong understanding of sport-specific movement, biomechanics, and athlete performance needs.
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously and prioritize effectively.
• Experience working with new technologies, innovations, and rapid prototyping tools.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across diverse teams and directly with athletes.
• Business acumen and problem-solving mindset.
• Fluent in English; additional languages a plus.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally (up to 20%)

Education & Experience

• University degree in Engineering, Sport Science (Biomechanics, Physiology, etc) or related field;
• 2+ years of relevant experience in footwear product development, ideally with exposure to performance or athlete-specific footwear.
• Passion for basketball and innovation in sport performance

• ​
• adidas offers robust and progressive medical, including HSA (Health Savings Account) with employer funding or FSA (Flexible Spending Account) options, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, adoption, with surrogate and fertility support, short and long-term disability, and basic life and AD&D insurance, which can be supplemented with employee-paid coverage. Employees are able to enroll in adidas’ 401k plan and Stock Purchase Plan with employer match. Full-time employees are eligible for education assistance and generous Leave policies including 12 weeks of paid parental leave.​
• Employees are eligible to earn an annual bonus based on both company and personal performance. Employees accrue prorated flexible time off in the amount .4388 hours per day that increases with years of service, twelve paid holidays throughout the calendar year and Service Time Off during milestone years.
• The anticipated low and high end of the base pay range for this position is $95,000 - $118,000. Actual salary will be based on various factors, such as a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills and competencies, proficiency for the role.​
• At adidas we offer a Hybrid work policy which requires attendance in the office Monday through Thursday, with the flexibility to work remotely on Friday each week. For work requiring a high degree of collaboration or an in-person presentation, in-office attendance is required even on Friday. The working location of this position is Los Angeles, California.​
• Though our teammates hail from all corners of the world, our working language is English.

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

• Bring consumer and sport insights into your concepts
• Execute the category direction
• Work with all creation functions to deliver product concepts
• Create ranges within the category from both an image and commercial point of view

Key Responsibilities:

• Working independently on ACC creation related projects and follow up on project development with a strong ownership.
• Understanding of Sports industry and Chinese consumer needs in sports relevant area (2-3 years working experience in sportswear industry is a good to have).
• Show clear understanding of the product creation process whilst managing all tasks within the given time frames, with special attention to speed to market
• Actively analyse business, draw conclusions and propose action steps
• Proactively manage range direction & propose a clear strategy for the range and how to move it on
• Present ranges and business related topics - with respective audience in mind - by using relevant structure and content

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge & Business sense on product creation (should be a transferable skill, so open on category - sports or lifestyle; open on product type, could be /APP/FTW/ACC, but need to show a clear point of view on business)
• Strong adaptation & flexibility – be able to embrace a changing world and working environment.
• Communication - Be able to manage the conversation with different department such as DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT/FACTORY/BU. To have smooth x-functional team communication and influence the result towards to the best business relevant area.
• Team player .

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• College degree, preferably in marketing/business /textile/fashion
• Minimum of 2 years Product Marketing or Merch experience with APP, FTW or ACC background
• Experience in trade, vertical retail business model or sales is helpful
• Fluent in English .
• PC skills (MS Office programs, especially PowerPoint and Excel)

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

Digital Process Management & Solutions team drives process excellence, manage inbound logistics value stream and systems, drive simplification of operational processes, manage ownership for all the digital products and translate strategic direction into actionable plans & balanced product strategy.

• Managing product ownership for all digital products.
• Overseeing business process ownership operationally.
• Providing change management and support for related processes and systems.

1. Product Backlog:

• Prioritize and manage product backlog to ensure alignment with business goals and customer needs.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to gather requirements and refine backlog items.
• Ensure the backlog is transparent, visible, and understood by all team members.

2. Functional Specification:

• Develop and maintain detailed functional specifications to guide product development.
• Partner with Tech, design teams to translate business requirements into technical specifications.
• Ensure specifications are comprehensive, clear, and aligned with overall product strategy.

3. Data Specification:

• Establish and manage data specifications to ensure data integrity and consistency across systems.
• Define data models, schemas, and standards for data management.
• Collaborate with data engineering teams to implement and maintain data specifications.

4. System Testing (SIT, UAT):

• Lead system integration testing (SIT) efforts to ensure product quality and performance.
• Develop and execute test plans, test cases, and test scripts.
• Identify and resolve issues discovered during testing, ensuring a smooth product release.
• Support User acceptance testing (UAT) by preparing test scripts & also during issue resolutions

5. Continuous improvement for System Capability:

• Continuously assess and identify opportunities to enhance system capabilities and performance.
• Conduct regular reviews of system functionality and performance metrics.
• Implement improvements based on feedback from users and stakeholders.

6. Process Automation:

• Lead initiatives to automate processes, improving efficiency and reducing manual efforts.
• Identify areas for automation and develop strategies to implement automated solutions.
• Collaborate with IT and operations teams to integrate automation into existing workflows.

7. System Innovation:

• Foster a culture of innovation, driving development of cutting-edge solutions.
• Stay updated on industry trends and emerging technologies.
• Encourage creative thinking and experimentation within the team.

8. Functional Application Management:

• Oversee management of primary data & provide application support to ensure seamless operations.
• Ensure applications are functioning optimally and meet business requirements.
• Provide guidance and support to users, addressing any issues or concerns.

Key Relationships:

• GSCM/ POPS business functions
• Market SCM, SCD and adjacent teams (POPS, Finance, Wholesale/ Retail/ E-Com)
• GSCM/ POPS Strategy & Programs
• Global IT (incl. Digital Suite Hub)
• PMO of strategic programs (T4RM, FPS)
• External consultants (as needed) and Logistics service providers

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong analytical skills
• Expert domain knowledge
• Basic leadership skills (a plus)
• Basic experience with enterprise platforms and technologies
• Basic understanding of IT products and capabilities
• Good communication and facilitation skills across business levels
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, multicultural environment
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally
• Fluent in English (verbal and written)
• Excellent presentation skills

Requisite Education and Qualifications:

• University degree in business administration or related field, or equivalent experience
• 5+ years in Supply Chain/IT
• Product Owner experience in at least one area or domain
• Market experience preferred
• Experience with stakeholders at various levels

Product Manager, FTW SPW

Department: CCS

Direct Reporting Line: Category Director

Indirect/secondary reporting line: -

Subsidiary/country: China

GSMS Grade: M4

Number of Personnel Managed: According to Org Chart

Cost Center/Budget and/or Revenue Responsibility: -

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

Key Responsibilities:

Key Relationships:

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

College degree, preferably in marketing/business/textile/fashion
Minimum of 6 years Product Marketing experience with FTW background
Experience in trade or sales is helpful Fluent in English
PC skills (MS Office programs)

Responsibilities:

• : drive performance improvements by addressing key drivers, communicating success, initiating and coordinating escalations

• • Create visibility on market projected availability and inventory performance

• Translate commercial needs related to availability and inventory into supply chain requirements/ solutions
• Manage risk/ opportunities related to availability and inventory

• Process owner: responsible for the documentation and enhancement of a specific process (performance, efficiency) and initiating continuous improvement in collaboration with involved stakeholders
• Project support:implementation of a project/ pilot within area of responsibility
• Monitor BU/ Channel/ BM performanceand perform root-cause analysis, identification of drivers and trends
• Ensure preparationfor Business Control activities (Demand & Supply meeting, Launch, NOS & Teamwear S&OP meetings)
• Coordinate and executeperformance improvements across teams: AF escalation, early call-off, other exceptions
• Act as the first point of contact for the process related issues and escalations
• Acting as the backup for the Team Leader

Key Relationships:

• Demand Planning
• Business Unit
• Market SCM
• Visibility & Performance
• Sports Marketing

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

• Service-minded and consumer/customer oriented

• Analytical thinking and ability to solve problems
• Team player and effective collaborator
• Ability to communicate effectively

• Good knowledge of MS Office (advanced MS Excel skills), Power Bi and SAP
• Fluent in English, additional language is a plus

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in supply chain management or in the areas of business administration, logistics, planning, information systems. Master's degree is a plus

• 3+ years of experience in supply chain management, operations or planning, preferably in the Accessories, Apparel or Footwear industries

• Drive development and validation of innovative product concepts aligned with specifications, compliance, and integrity.
• Provide commercially tangible guidance across readiness levels, ROI, timelines, and scalability.
• Collaborate closely with supplier innovation centers to ensure performance, competitiveness, and strategic advantage for adidas.
• Inspire suppliers to continuously upgrade expertise in technical applications, new materials, and manufacturing technologies.
• Benchmark across sporting goods and other industries to identify opportunities for innovative technologies, processes, and materials.
• Deliver regular updates and valuable input to project teams and key stakeholders; escalate to leadership when necessary.
• Challenge teams, stakeholders, and suppliers to ensure feasibility, commercial viability, impact, and progress of projects.
• Allocate resources based on project needs.
• Ensure project deliverables are met on time, in full, and within budget.
• Lead and staff cross-divisional teams.
• Ensure sourcing operations comply with adidas’ Responsible Sourcing & Purchasing Policy, internal standards, and legal requirements.
• Develop and coach team members to uphold high performance standards, build appropriate skill sets, and establish strong succession plans.
• Role model leadership that fosters a culture of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the workplace.

• Global Sourcing
• HQ Innovation Teams, adiLab, Innovation Management
• HQ Sustainability Materials
• Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 Supply Partners’ Innovation Departments
• Global Functions Teams

• Innovative and visionary mindset
• Strong people management skills with proven experience leading multidimensional teams
• Deep expertise in Materials and Methods of Make, sports product creation, and engineering
• Excellent influencing, presentation, communication, and articulation skills
• Fluent in English (written and spoken)
• Proficient in Microsoft Office

• University degree in Materials, Process, Textile, Chemical, Mechanical Engineering or related fields
• Minimum 10+ years of relevant experience, including 3 years of people management
• Specific expertise in product, material, and technology is an advantage