Manager, Advanced Polymers (Boost)

This role is a key player in Product Development & Sourcing, helping drive the most agile, competitive, digitalised and cleanest supply base in the industry. It drives engineering and manufacturing innovations at both process and product level, from concept validation to full deployment, to create overall industrial competitiveness. The role acts as part of a consultant pool of technical experts guiding world-class supply of foams, rubber, plastics, adhesives, ink/paint, coloration, textiles and other polymer compounds and their manufacturing processes.

• Understand the intellectual property landscape.
• Run individual project team-based collaboration for engineering and manufacturing innovation product concepts and ingredients from validation to full deployment via technical expertise and action throughout readiness levels, gate 1 and 2 meetings, and scalability for assigned projects and phases.
• Identify challenges and opportunities during innovation readiness level stages and follow up the workstreams needed while maintaining an emphasis on performance, efficiency, cost and sustainability benefits.
• Receive seasonal compound requests from product creation teams and guide supply partner counterparts to experiment, formulate, test and effectively transition from development to production to satisfy those needs.
• Maintain the Material Lifecycle Management system for bottom material creation and management, including clean-ups.
• Give technical consultant feedback to Ops/Materials teams for new supplier onboarding, costing and quality.
• Ensure all sourcing operations and practices fully comply with adidas' Responsible Sourcing & Purchasing Policy, adidas standards and legal requirements, while managing the relevant processes internally and externally.
• Role model adidas values and behaviours and foster a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion that strives for an inclusive workplace.

• Advanced knowledge of polymer chemistry and other chemical products, including formulations, processing, machinery and physical testing, in the field of "Solid", "Liquid" and/or "Gas" specialties: "Solid" — rubber, injected plastic components, textiles
• "Liquid" — ink/paint, textile coloration dyes/finishing chemicals, adhesives and primers
• "Gas" — chemical foams (EVA, PU) and physical foams (SCF, beads).
• Strong analytical skills for problem solving and for creation, planning and delivery of project work.
• Ability to explain highly technical concepts to a non-technical audience.
• Constantly challenging the status quo.
• Basic understanding of costing principles.
• Good influencing, interpersonal, presentation and communication skills.
• Fluent in English and Chinese, written and spoken.
• Strong Microsoft Office and AI skills.
• University Degree in Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Textile Engineering or related engineering areas.
• Minimum 3+ years of relevant experience.

The company believes that embedding diversity, equity and inclusion into its culture and talent processes gives employees a sense of belonging and the brand a competitive advantage.