Senior Manager, Trend & Incubation Marketing (LTD)

This role contributes to the global Culture Marketing strategy and collaboration portfolio. It identifies emerging cultural opportunities, develops strategic partnerships, and manages the end-to-end collaboration lifecycle to strengthen brand relevance, cultural credibility, and commercial growth. The role works across Product Creation, Design, Merchandising, Brand, Communications, Finance, and Commercial teams, as well as with external partners and cultural industry representatives.

• Contribute to the development and execution of the global collaboration strategy across music, fashion, streetwear, entertainment, and emerging cultural communities.
• Monitor cultural movements, consumer behaviours, and industry developments to identify emerging talent, influential voices, and opportunities that strengthen brand relevance.
• Identify, evaluate, negotiate, and secure collaboration partners aligned with cultural positioning, consumer priorities, and commercial objectives.
• Serve as a senior relationship lead for key collaboration partners, developing trusted relationships and long-term partnership strategies.
• Oversee the end-to-end collaboration lifecycle, from opportunity identification and contract execution through concept development, product creation, launch, performance evaluation, and renewal planning.
• Partner with Product Creation, Design, Merchandising, Brand, Communications, and Commercial teams to deliver collaboration products, marketing stories, and consumer experiences.
• Influence product briefs and creative development to ensure partner vision, cultural authenticity, and business objectives are reflected.
• Translate cultural insights and emerging consumer trends into innovative partnership concepts, creative opportunities, and growth initiatives.
• Establish evaluation frameworks and recommend partnership investments, expansions, renewals, or exits based on strategic alignment, cultural influence, and commercial potential.
• Define and monitor KPIs across cultural impact, brand relevance, earned media, consumer engagement, product performance, and commercial outcomes.
• Manage budgets across partner acquisition, relationship development, product seeding, activations, and collaboration initiatives with financial accountability.
• Collaborate with global, regional, and local teams to support consistent strategy execution while maintaining market-specific cultural relevance.
• Develop and improve partnership governance frameworks, approval processes, and standardised operating models.
• Establish playbooks, tools, templates, and best practices to improve operational efficiency, execution consistency, and organisational scalability.
• Drive milestone management, reporting cadences, business reviews, and cross-functional coordination to ensure effective partnership execution.

• Demonstrated experience in culture marketing, strategic partnerships, brand collaborations, talent partnerships, or related marketing disciplines.
• Strong understanding of music, fashion, streetwear, entertainment, contemporary consumer culture, and emerging cultural trends.
• Experience identifying, evaluating, negotiating, and managing strategic partnerships or brand collaborations.
• Ability to translate cultural insights, emerging trends, and consumer behaviours into actionable partnership opportunities and business strategies.
• Proven ability to lead complex projects and coordinate cross-functional stakeholders within a global or matrixed organisation.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing teams through direct people management or cross-functional leadership.
• Strong strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, and business judgment with the ability to connect cultural opportunities to brand and commercial objectives.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong organisational, planning, and project management capabilities with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Experience managing budgets, evaluating performance, and leveraging business insights to inform strategic decisions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Ability to adapt and perform effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic, and culturally driven environment.

• Experience developing or managing high-profile collaborations within the sportswear, fashion, music, streetwear, or entertainment industries.
• Established professional networks across cultural communities, creative industries, talent management, and strategic partnership ecosystems.
• Experience managing global collaboration portfolios or multi-market partnership initiatives.
• Experience identifying and incubating emerging cultural partnerships, innovative collaboration concepts, or new marketing opportunities.
• Understanding of product creation processes, including concept development, design collaboration, merchandising, and go-to-market execution.
• Experience developing partnership governance frameworks, operating models, and standardised collaboration processes.
• Familiarity with evaluating cultural influence, consumer engagement, earned media, and commercial performance.
• Experience working with external creative agencies, experiential partners, talent representatives, and industry stakeholders.
• Knowledge of the Los Angeles cultural landscape and its influence across sport, fashion, music, entertainment, and lifestyle.

• Based in Los Angeles, California.
• Follows a hybrid work model, with employees expected to work in the office Monday through Thursday and flexibility to work remotely on Friday.
• In-office attendance may also be required on Fridays based on business needs, including collaborative meetings, presentations, and team activities.
• Operates within a fast-paced, collaborative, and globally connected corporate environment.
• Regular engagement with internal stakeholders, external partners, creative agencies, and cultural industry representatives is essential.
• Domestic and international travel may be required based on business needs.
• Flexibility to work unconventional business hours, including evenings and weekends, may be necessary to support partnership activities, product launches, and cultural events.
• Operates within the global Culture Marketing organisation, contributing to strategic collaboration initiatives, partnership execution, and team leadership.
• Works closely with Global Business Units, regional and local markets, Finance, Product Marketing, Design, Product Development, Communications, Public Relations, Storytelling, and Commercial teams.
• Maintains senior-level relationships with external collaboration partners, creative agencies, experiential partners, and other industry stakeholders.

• Comprehensive medical coverage including HSA with employer funding or FSA options, dental, vision, and prescription plans.
• Short and long term disability coverage.
• Basic life and AD&D insurance with supplemental employee paid options.
• 401(k) retirement savings eligibility subject to applicable service, hours, and age requirements, plus access to the adidas Stock Purchase Plan subject to eligibility requirements.
• Flexible Time Off accrued at one hour for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 80 hours per year.
• Eleven Company-Designated paid holidays. LTD employees are not eligible for the Floating Holiday.
• Eligible leave programmes, including applicable parental leave and income replacement benefits.
• Employee product discounts and access to wellness and Employee Assistance programmes.
• Access to eligible voluntary benefits, including legal, pet insurance, commuter, and voluntary time off programmes.

Its culture is guided by behaviours including courage, ownership, innovation, teamplay, integrity, and respect, and it believes that embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion gives employees a sense of belonging and the brand a competitive advantage.