Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

As a Manager Gift Cards – Third Party you will be responsible for managing the external third-party gift card business across all European markets. You will be responsible for the day-to-day partner management, performance analysis, promotional activations, and the identification of growth opportunities across multiple channels. This role is the representative of adidas EU within gift card accounts and is also responsible for representing the accounts in internal cross-functional discussions. Close collaboration with Legal, Finance, Operations, Risk, and the gift card Vendor is essential to ensure operational excellence and unlock strategic opportunities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategy & performance management: Define and execute the third-party gift card, focusing on growth opportunities, promotional activations, and account development. Own key KPIs including liability, redemption, breakage, upsell, and margin.
• Account ownership: Manage all third-party accounts distributing adidas gift cards across both digital and physical channels. This includes overseeing relationships with integrators that support a variety of platforms, as well as mall operators and end retailers. Ensure consistent brand representation and maintain strong collaboration across all partner touchpoints.
• Contract Oversight: Lead commercial negotiations and manage contracts. Act as the main point of contact for internal and external stakeholders, resolving operational issues and driving joint initiatives.
• Forecasting & Reporting: Own weekly performance reporting and monthly forecasting for third-party gift card accounts. Identify areas of over- or under-performance, incorporating the impact of marketing activities, partner behavior, and industry trends. Provide data-driven insights and analysis to inform strategic decisions and optimize partner performance.
• Branding: Ensure all partner activities uphold adidas brand and execution guidelines, maintaining consistency and premium positioning across channels.
• Operational Coordination: Manage the three-way relationship between adidas, the issuing platforms (e.g., SVS), and third-party partners. Ensure smooth coordination across key operational topics such as data sharing, inventory management, technical alignment, and day-to-day issue resolution.
• Risk Management: Support risk mitigation efforts by coordinating with external partners to gather and assess relevant data and insights.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Lead and contribute to cross-functional projects to unlock business growth. Collaborate closely with Legal, Finance, Operations, and Commercial teams, advocating internally to secure alignment and resources.

Key Relationships:

• Gift Card Team
• Third party partners
• Gift card issuer & cards platform/s
• Digital Sales: Operations, Analytics, Partner Evolution
• Brand Activation and Memberships
• EU Finance, EU Legal, EU Tax
• GBS Credit, GBS Operations, GBS Procurement
• Customer Service

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of the Gift Card and/or Rewards industry.
• Proven ability to manage multiple partner accounts, including contract negotiation and performance oversight.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, provide insights, and set accurate forecasts.
• Effective cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to influence, align, and gain buy-in from internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• High proficiency in MS Office.
• Strong project management, execution, and prioritization skills; able to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum 3-5 years’ experience within account management, negotiation and/or commercial focused functions. Experience in fashion or sporting goods industries is a plus.
• Experience working within the EU gift cards industry.
• Proficient in written & spoken English. Understanding of any additional written & spoken European language is a plus, particularly German.
• HBO/university degree in Business, Marketing or a related field.