דרושים Senior Specialist Category Management Football ב-Adidas ב-United Arab Emirates, Dubai

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

At adidas, we have a clear purpose: “Through sport, we have the power to change lives.” This guiding principle shapes how we operate as a company, how we collaborate with our partners, how we create our products, and how we connect with our consumers. Our values represent essential behaviours and mindsets, reflecting the “You Got This” attitude we strive to see in every team member.

This same purpose and mindset are at the heart of Concept to Consumer (CTC) role that enable consumer-focused category execution by coordinating product availability, impactful seasonal campaigns activations and driving in-season trading strategies. This role ensures cross-functional alignment and operational excellence across channels to deliver impactful consumer experiences and business results.

Key Responsibilities:

• Generate and consolidate market and financial insights (incl. sell-out data), to inform category strategy, transforming it into actionable insights for category and commercial teams.
• Own the input of country range selection into planning systems, enabling a seamless end-to-end sell-in process.
• Monitor and report category performance in-season, identifying risks and opportunities to optimize sell-through.
• Support the briefing with local expertise to the business unit on needed articles, specific retailer needs and other volume and image driving opportunities, local market and category trends, and business opportunities to maximize the category´s potential in the country.
• Be the key contact for local commercial and brand activation teams for the assigned category for the country, with a clear overview of the execution in the market, key channels and accounts through frequent trade and digital visits/review.
• Provide any required scenario analysis related to the Category, and participate of 90-60-30 meetings to be fully on board on a Brand Activation perspective on status of the category, and take corrective actions in case they are necessary.
• Coordinate in-season trading strategies across channels, ensuring agility in response to market dynamics.
• Lead category activation planning in collaboration with Brand Comms, Omni, and channels teams.
• Manage campaign calendars and launch timelines, communicating changes and coordinating execution across functions.
• Ensure product availability by aligning with supply chain, demand planning, and account teams.
• Support discount and inventory strategies, including slow mover management and license expiration considerations.
• Facilitate cross-functional meetings and communications, acting as the central connector between CTC, channels, and brand teams.

Key Relationships:

• CTC Category Leads
• Marketing Operations
• Brand Comms, SPOMA and Omnichannel Teams
• Demand Planning
• Supply Chain team

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

• Strong analytical and reporting capabilities (e.g., Power BI)
• Deep understanding of consumer and market dynamics
• Excellent coordination and communication skills
• Proficiency in campaign planning and product lifecycle management
• Ability to manage complexity and drive cross-functional alignment

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• University degree or equivalent education
• Minimum 2 years of experience in category management, marketing, or commercial operations

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide guidance for internal customers on GBS S2P processes and policies and resolve queries for internal customers and suppliers
• Facilitate efficient use of the Source To Pay system (Ariba Guided Buying)
• Review open items and support reconciliation between supplier accounts and the supplier statements, request missing documents and potential reimbursements
• Secure timely cross-checks on regular controls, as needed
• Perform quality checks on Purchase requests, Non-Trade related
• Ensure timely analysis of Debit balance accounts by working closely with suppliers and other finance teams. Ensure they are balanced by resolving the causes of non-payment, requesting missing and complementary information and executing proper follow ups

Key Relationships:

• Internal Controls
• Other GBS departments
• Local markets
• Management

:

• Strong Finance Acumen

• Solid experience with SAP
• Experience in a Shared Service environment or similar
• Ability to read, write and communicate in English and Italian in a business setting
• Ability to pay close attention to detail, strong problem solving and analytical skills
• Solid interpersonal skills, navigate easily within complex organizations, connect with a variety functions, audiences, management styles, or cultures
• Highly results driven and self-motivated team player with compassion, integrity, trust and perseverance
• Curious and growth mindset; keen to learn and approach subjects outside of comfort zone, look beyond the obvious

Role of TECH Site Lead

• Full ownership of all the Tech activities in Hong Kong, including project delivery and day-to-day opertaions
• End-to-end delivery from demand to execution
• Partnerhip with local business stakeholders
• Partnership with Greater China Area (GCA) TECH and Global TECH teams

Specialist advice

• Actively maintains knowledge in one or more identifiable specialisms.
• Provides detailed and specific advice regarding the application of their specialism(s) to the organization’s planning and operations.
• Recognizes and identifies the boundaries of their own specialist knowledge.
• Collaborates with other specialists, where appropriate, to ensure advice given is appropriate to the needs of the organization.

Business analysis

• Investigates operational requirements, problems, and opportunities, seeking effective business solutions through improvements in automated and non-automated components of new or changed processes.
• Assists in the analysis of stakeholder objectives, and the underlying issues arising from investigations into business requirements and problems and identifies options for consideration.
• Works with stakeholders, to identify potential benefits and available options for consideration, and in defining acceptance tests.
• Contributes to selection of the business analysis methods, tools, and techniques for projects, selecting appropriately from predictive (plan-driven) approaches or adaptive (iterative/agile) approaches.

Requirements definition and management

• Contributes to selection of the requirements approach for projects, selecting appropriately from predictive (plan-driven) approaches or adaptive (iterative/agile) approaches.
• Defines and manages scoping, requirements definition and prioritization activities for initiatives of medium size and complexity.
• Facilitates input from stakeholders, provides constructive challenge and enables effective prioritization of requirements.
• Reviews requirements for errors and omissions.
• Establishes the requirements base-lines, obtains formal agreement to requirements, and ensures traceability to source.
• Investigates, manages, and applies authorized requests for changes to base-lined requirements, in line with change management policy.

Porting/software configuration

• Assists in the configuration of software and equipment and the systems testing of platform-specific versions of one or more software products.
• Documents faults, implements resolutions and retests to agreed standards.

Application support

• Identifies and resolves issues with applications, following agreed procedures.
• Uses application management software and tools to collect agreed performance statistics.
• Carries out agreed applications maintenance tasks.

People Management / Resource Management:

• Is involved in recruiting process and proposes support for hiring decision and pre-selection of candidates
• Allocates the different work to the respective employees considering experience, complexity, workload, and organizational efficiency
• Continuously monitors and evaluates team workload and organizational efficiency with the support of IT systems, data and analysis and team feedback and makes appropriate changes to meet business needs.

• Provides team members/direct reports with clear direction and targets that are aligned with business needs and GIT objectives

Key Relationships:

• Global IT
• Respective business function (GOPS, Finance, HR, Brand Marketing, Wholesale/Retail)
• HR Management

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• Four-year college or university degree with focus on Business Administration or IT or related areas, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Proficient spoken and written command of English
• At least 7-year experience in IT
• 5 years of experience in relevant area
• 2 years of experience in team management
• Strong understanding & knowledge of regional and global market landscape and the respective customer
• Managed critical elements and cross functional and regional projects

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organisation:

• Ensuring correct and daily execution of key responsibilities in the GBS Center according to the requirements of GBS policies, procedures and guidelines, and according to the Group Accounting Manual for specific area of responsibility (Accounts receivable/Retail/eCom)
• Self-directed worker for a specific service area
• Supports organizational effectiveness through the identification and communication of process improvement opportunities

:

• Perform accounting tasks in AR Wholesale/Retail/eCom for larger markets, having to deal with specific cases of each market
• Check and review tasks handled by junior members, e.g. cash application, master data changes
• Perform sales vs. collection reconciliation for key customers, landlords and online stores
• Perform reports preparation and analysis, e.g. AR deduction report, eCom reconciliation report, Retail aging and collection analysis report
• Perform and review month end closing tasks
• Deal with ad hoc requests and coordinate with others
• Perform, coordinate and review audit tasks, reviewing the quality results within team
• Create and maintain desktop procedures, checking for inconsistencies and improvement opportunities (SME only)
• Handling of internal and external customer queries on complex cases
• Prepare training material and give training on specific cases for own area of responsibility (SME only)
• Group email and ticket allocation and handling
• Identify problems and bring to attention of Supervisor
• Deliver training to junior member and new member (e.g. sales vs. collection recon)
• Support team lead on project delivery, e.g. efficiency improvement, retail system upgrade
• Raise and implement smart work ideas

Team Leader 30%

• Partner with Marketing and Design to achieve the goals and objectives set by the business unit
• Proactively communicate on an on-going basis with the development team and cross functional teams to ensure a smooth product development process
• Research new technologies and materials and communicates to Design and Marketing on new potential development options
• Supervise the costing process to achieve the best possible cost throughout the creation process
• Communicate to internal and external teams seasonal product initiatives, process changes and longer-term category vision
• Take responsibility for Buy Ready performance through strong interfaces with Marketing, Design, Materials Development, Pattern, Logistics and Sourcing (Technical Services, Materials, Merchandising and Production)
• Manage team to achieve high performance by fostering a positive team environment, through effective delegation, objective setting, performance assessments, motivation, and training and development

Product Developer 70%

• Communicate all necessary information to Marketing, Design, Suppliers and LO/OC to ensure the effective and efficient creation of outstanding product
• Ensure target price and product designs are aligned through predictive costing. Review, validate and approve T1 costing information throughout the entire creation process. Ensure compliance to agreed standards. Negotiate with T1 as needed

• Manage handover from design to T1 to ensure that all information provided to T1 is complete. Manage T1 feedback to design and marketing and incorporate where quality or cost can be improved without sacrificing product aesthetics
• Ensures timely and accurate data entry by T1 regarding AD/BOM, costing or other data as required at calendar milestones
• Evaluate all prototypes for compliance with AD, manages fit approval/size specification, approval of color, accessories and materials. Manage comments to T1
• Ensure that all materials and accessories as well as prototypes are tested and adhere to adidas quality, safety and A01 standards. Manage quality exceptions with senior management as needed
• If required, review size sets for accuracy of measurements and merchantability of complete size range including logo placement and fit. (LO/OC to approve size sets not requested by CC and to review size sets approved by CC after buy ready release)
• Review and sign off sealing sample with complete AD including all related documents prior to buy ready dates. Ensure full conformity to published policies to ensure a final legal AD for final product
• Researches innovation from market or supply chain as far as garment construction, pattern/fit, embellishment, trims. Work cross functionally with BOPS teams, aIT, Sourcing and T1/T2 to implement into product creation

Key Relationships:

• Marketing
• Design
• Sourcing (Brand Strategy, Merchandising, Costing, Materials, tech Services)
• BOPS (Materials, Costing, Pattern)
• GSP, SCI,

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong communication (both written and verbal) and facilitation (small and large groups) skills
• Ability to create, plan and effectively deliver presentations in formal and informal settings
• Ability to manage and motivate a team
• Ability to anticipate problems and develop solutions through to resolution
• Ability to cope with change, make decisions and act comfortably with risk and uncertainty
• In-depth Knowledge of production garment construction and manufacturing
• Advanced Knowledge of material construction and related testing

• Advanced Knowledge of wear and physical product testing
• Advanced knowledge of costing and ability to negotiate as required
• Ability to fit a garment and comment to T1 on changes required
• Fluent in English (written and spoken)
• Strong IT skills ( MS office, PDM, CAD ) and ability to work with Product Data Management Systems
• Travel, domestic and international as required by business needs

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• Four-year college or university degree with emphasis on clothing technology and/or manufacturing
• Minimum 3-5 years of progressive work experience in the garment/textile industry
• First experience in managing a team