SENIOR TRANSITION MANAGER 1 YEAR FIXED TERM

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

At adidas, we have a very clear mission: “to be the best sports brand in the world¨; and a very passionate purpose: “Through sport, we have the power to change lives.” This guiding principles 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, reflecting a winning mindset we strive to see in every team member. 

This same purpose and mindset are at the heart of Global Business Services (GBS) the team that delivers consistent, end-to-end business solutions across adidas. By driving process excellence and operational efficiency, GBS enables our partners to focus on what matters most: creating impact.

GBS Central Senior Transitions & Project Management is responsible for managing and supporting country transitions to the GBS operating model and delivering projects whilst ensuring business continuity. The Senior Transition Manager will lead the transition of services currently provided across several areas of Finance, Non-Trade Procurement, Plan to Invoice and Human Resources, from where they are currently delivered in functions or markets, to one of the GBS Operations Centers in Dalian, Porto or Bogota as well as different type of projects.

He or she will coordinate across both the sending and receiving transition, working with the function or Market currently delivering the service, the relevant Process Excellence team in GBS to standardize, improve or automate the service where possible, and the operational teams in the Operations Centers who are receiving the services.

The Senior Transition Manager is not expected to be an expert on the processes and services being transitioned and may be assigned to transition or other types of projects in any functional area.  He or she will need to make sure the relevant experts from the outbound area as well as the Process Excellence team in GBS are engaged and deployed to the project to provide this input.

The Senior Transition Manager will also have a role ensuring that projects are sufficiently resourced and that the standard project tools and methodologies are deployed consistently and effectively. He or she will contribute to the design and build of the standard GBS transition & project management methodology and toolkit and ensure that all the team know how to use it effectively to deliver projects on time, to quality and realizing targeted benefits.

Key Responsibilities:

• Drive the shared services transitions and projects across markets and ensure a consistent, complete, and focused implementation on time and in budget.
• Develop and communicate project plans and timelines in alignment with global shared services roadmap
• Ensure the readiness of systems with respect to the service delivery platform in collaboration with local markets and Global IT
• Manage the harmonizing, streamlining and amendment of markets’ processes according to adidas global compliant standards
• Ensure timely and adequate communication and reporting on progress and issue resolutions for the program towards local management and senior management teams
• Lead by example a cross-functional collaboration, create a motivating working atmosphere and actively drive the change management to ensure aligned, consistent communication, a respectful and friendly working relationship in challenging times
• On project basis, drive KPI’s negotiations into the overall Global Framework in close corporation with Performance team and respective business owners
• Lead additional projects for further process improvements in the global process area or operation to support the establishment of shared services specific tools.
• Provide team members with clear direction and targets that are aligned with business needs.
• Manage and coordinate sending and receiving transition teams during transition period.
• Escalation and issue management of transition project activity.
• Drive the exception decision process to prompt closure.
• Develop and ensure effective use of established project tools and methodologies.

Key Relationships:

• Management team in market or function e.g. FD (sending).
• Operations management team in GBS center (including receiving transition resource).
• Relevant Process Excellence team.
• GBS Change Management team.
• GBS PMO.

Knowledge, Skills and leadership abilities Senior Managers:

• Ability to coach, guide and manage a (project) team.
• Strong experience to work on several projects simultaneously.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence, partner and mobilize stakeholders through project goals.
• Pro- active (engaging & impact-oriented) mindset, ability to think end-to-end.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with different international cultures.
• Business mindset: Very good numerical and analytical skills, experience in finance.
• Good experience to manage projects on a global level.
• Good communication (both written and verbal) and facilitation skills (small and large groups) especially when interacting with different levels of business.
• Ability to travel, domestic or international, as required.
• Fluent English (verbal and written).
• Strong planning and organization skills, and ability to work and deliver in changing environments, under limited guidance while adhering to specified deadlines.
• Excellent communication, people management and change management skills in order to negotiate with internal  and/or external  parties with divergent interests.
• Cultural awareness and working in international environment.
• Proven ability to lead beyond own area of direct responsibility to achieve results within wider organization.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to information requests from senior executives, stakeholders, cross-functional business leaders, peers and customers.
• High degree of self-management, enthusiasm, drive to perform.

EXCEL
• Live your passion for the brand: Acts as a confident brand ambassador, spreading enthusiasm for adidas, its culture, products, and consumers. shares brand updates, understand diverse consumer needs and adapts accordingly.

• Act like it’s your own company: Balances global strategy with local needs, aligns team goals, seeks process improvements, and drives sustainable growth and profitability.

• Think Bigger and Beyond: Anticipates change, embraces ambiguity, and encourages innovation. Supports calculated risks, challenges the status quo, and drives continuous improvement.

EMPOWER
• Build a diverse team & foster inclusion: Creates diverse, high-performing teams in an inclusive, fair environment. Encourages open dialogue, values different perspectives, and celebrates individual and team achievements
• Engage and inspire: Connects and energizes the team with clear vision and motivating communication. Guides through challenges and promotes well-being and resilience.

• Develop talent: Iidentifies and creates development opportunities, provides fair access to growth, and fosters a culture of trust and continuous feedback.

ELEVATE
• Deliver results: Sets clear, achievable goals, prioritizes value-driven actions, ensures resources, and exemplifies a hands-on mentality to overcome challenges.

• Promote accountability: Owns decisions with transparency, communicates expectations clearly, addresses conflicts constructively, and takes confident actions, even in challenging situations.

• Continue to grow yourself: Seeks feedback, reflects to increase self-awareness, embraces a learning mindset, and pursues growth beyond the comfort zone while promoting development within the team.

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• Ability to coach, guide and manage a (project)team.
• Strong experience to work on several projects simultaneously.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence, partner and mobilize stakeholders through transition goals.
• Pro- active (engaging & impact-oriented) mindset, ability to think end-to-end.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with different international cultures.
• Business mindset: Very good numerical and analytical skills, experience in finance.
• Good experience to manage projects on a global level.
• Good communication (both written and verbal) and facilitation skills (small and large groups) especially when interacting with different levels of business.
• Ability to travel, domestic or international, as required.
• Fluent English (verbal and written).
• Strong planning and organization skills, and ability to work and deliver in changing environments, under limited guidance while adhering to specified deadlines.
• Excellent communication, people management and change management skills in order to negotiate with internal  and/or external  parties with divergent interests.
• Cultural awareness and working in international environment.
• Proven ability to lead beyond own area of direct responsibility to achieve results within wider organization.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to information requests from senior executives, stakeholders, cross-functional business leaders, peers and customers.
• High degree of self-management, enthusiasm, drive to perform.
• Four-year college or university degree with focus on Business Administration, or related areas, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 5-7 years of progressive work experience in large scale transition projects and program management.
• Minimum 5 years of progressive work experience leading complex and large multiple transition initiatives in a GBS environment and with global/regional exposure.