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Manager, Advanced Chemicals Footwear

PURPOSE

  • Act as a key player in Global Sourcing, driving the vision to be the Most Agile, Most Competitive, Most Digitalized & Cleanest Supply Base in the industry.
  • Lead engineering and manufacturing innovations at both process and product levels—from concept validation to full deployment—to enhance overall industrial competitiveness.
  • Serve as a technical consultant, guiding world-class supply of rubber, EVA, PU, injected plastic components, ink/paint, textile coloration, finishing processes, adhesives, and other chemical products.

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Research sporting goods, technologies, and supply partners through pulse checks and benchmarking across industries to identify opportunities for innovative technologies, processes, or materials that create competitive advantage.
  • Understand and navigate the Intellectual Property (IP) landscape.
  • Collaborate in project teams to develop and deploy engineering and manufacturing innovation concepts, ensuring readiness through Gate 1 & 2 meetings and scalability across assigned projects.
  • Identify challenges and opportunities during innovation readiness stages; initiate workstreams focused on performance, efficiency, cost, and sustainability.
  • Manage seasonal compound requests from product creation teams; guide supply partners in experimentation, formulation, testing, and transitioning from development to production.
  • Own Material Lifecycle Management system for bottom material creation and management (including clean-ups).
  • Provide technical feedback to Operations/Materials teams for supplier onboarding, costing, and quality.
  • Ensure compliance with adidas’ Responsible Sourcing & Purchasing Policy, standards, and legal requirements across all sourcing operations.
  • Role-model leadership to foster a culture of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for an inclusive workplace.

 

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

  • Internal: Global Sourcing (costing, materials operations, sourcing operations, sustainability sourcing, engineering & manufacturing innovation), HQ innovation teams, innovation management, materials creation, sustainability, and Product Development.
  • External: Sourcing suppliers.

 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

  • Advanced knowledge of polymer chemistry and chemical products, including formulations, processing, machinery, and physical testing in:
    • Solid: Rubber, injected plastic components, textiles
    • Liquid: Ink/paint, textile coloration, dyes/finishing chemicals, adhesives, primers
    • Gas: EVA, PU, TPU, and other chemical foams
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to plan and deliver projects effectively.
  • Ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
  • Innovative mindset; constantly challenges the status quo.
  • Basic understanding of costing principles.
  • Excellent influencing, presentation, and communication skills.
  • Fluent in English (written and spoken).
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

  • University degree in Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Textile Engineering, or related fields.
  • Minimum 5+ years of relevant experience.

AT ADIDAS WE HAVE A WINNING CULTURE. BUT TO WIN, PHYSICAL POWER IS NOT ENOUGH. JUST LIKE ATHLETES OUR EMPLOYEES NEED MENTAL STRENGTH IN THEIR GAME. WE FOSTER THE ATHLETE’S MINDSET THROUGH A SET OF BEHAVIORS THAT WE WANT TO ENABLE AND DEVELOP IN OUR PEOPLE AND THAT ARE AT THE CORE OF OUR UNIQUE COMPANY CULTURE: THIS IS HOW WE WIN WHILE PLAYING FAIR.

  • COURAGE: Speak up when you see an opportunity; step up when you see a need..
  • OWNERSHIP: Pick up the ball. Be proactive, take responsibility and follow-through.
  • INNOVATION: Elevate to win. Be curious, test and learn new and better ways of doing things.
  • TEAMPLAY: Win together. Work collaboratively and cultivate a shared mindset.
  • INTEGRITY: Play by the rules. Hold yourself and others accountable to our company’s standards.
  • RESPECT: Value all players. Display empathy, be inclusive and show dignity to all.


At adidas, we strongly believe that embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into our culture and talent processes gives our employees a sense of belonging and our brand a real competitive advantage.

– Culture Starts With People, It Starts With You –

By recruiting talent and developing our people to reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities, we foster a culture of inclusion that engages our employees and authentically connects our brand with our consumers.

Job Title:  Manager, Advanced Chemicals Footwear

Brand: 
Location:  Guangzhou
TEAM:  Product Development & Operations
State:  GD
Country/Region:  CN
Contract Type:  Full time
Number:  537657
Date:  Nov 20, 2025
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