Senior Manager, Product Creation

Is responsible for the product development of Lifestyle footwear silhouettes, with a specific focus on the Japanese market. It leads topics related to technical and product constructions, materials, process orientation, speed to market, driving efficiency and delivering margin expectations, and is accountable for initiating and managing projects. The position requires strong cross-functional management and collaboration, working with Product Marketing, Design, T1 and T2 factories, suppliers, Sourcing and the adidas Japan team.

• Work closely with the adidas Japan team to ensure all Japan product briefs are executed and sample making milestones are achieved within a fast-paced creation process, establishing better working practices to advance processes
• Drive collaboration with Global Lifestyle footwear Creation Centres, Design, Development, Sourcing and T1/T2 suppliers
• Build close working relationships with T1 factories and suppliers, generating new working practices to advance delivery against timelines
• Manage and develop relations with the T2 supply base to support localisation, speed to market, and the meeting of material pricing targets and materials quality
• Innovate across lifestyle footwear needs such as product constructions, comfort concepts, materials, product closures, seasonal executions and solutions
• Research and formulate options to deliver improved price-to-value outcomes
• Devise and drive the product process, leveraging category sourcing strategy to deliver gross margin and profitability objectives
• Nurture, guide and challenge cross-functional departments to ensure product excellence
• Develop and improve processes with the goal of driving a leading product process with speed and efficiency, always innovating with speed and flexibility

• College or university degree
• Minimum 5 years related experience
• Equivalent education and/or experience may be substituted for the degree
• Experience in Footwear Development and Sourcing is a necessity
• Extensive footwear product knowledge across a variety of lifestyle silhouettes, with experience in development and a working knowledge of product marketing, costing and materials, and of how best to work with T1 and T2 suppliers
• Comprehensive knowledge of shoe building from design sketch phase to ex-factory
• Knowledge of footwear concepts in construction and development
• Strong business acumen in channel distribution, net sales, margin, profit and inventory within a directional and commercially driven trade channel
• Ability to work with and influence all levels of the organisation and to align external partners such as factories and suppliers with company strategy
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced product creation environment
• Good numerical skills with the ability to negotiate
• Ability to effectively present to groups, including members of all organisational levels
• Skill in MS Office applications (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
• Ability to travel internationally for consumer trend research and internal meetings and presentations
• Seeks to redefine processes and find new and innovative angles to product creation with an emphasis on speed

• Experience in marketing is an advantage
• Some knowledge of the Japanese sporting goods industry would be an advantage but is not essential

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 real competitive advantage.