Manager, Innovation Costing

Purpose

  • A key player in Product Development and Sourcing in driving to be the Most Agile, Most Competitive, Most Innovative & Sustainable Supply Base in the industry.
  • Execute innovation-costing activities for new materials, concepts and machinery investments by developing accurate cost breakdowns, maintaining data and coordinating inputs across functions.
  • Prepare timely budget, chargeback and expenditure reporting for Engineering & Manufacturing Innovation and follow through on agreed actions.

 

Key Responsibilities

  • Apply established costing methodologies consistently within global costing systems and processes.
  • Build, maintain and update end-to-end costing models for assigned innovation projects, ensuring assumptions, inputs and outputs are complete and traceable.
  • Collect, validate and consolidate cost inputs from Engineering & Manufacturing Innovation teams, Finance, Costing, Product Development and suppliers.
  • Track costing deliverables, timelines, risks and open actions, and escalate issues when support or decisions are required.
  • Prepare and deliver accurate monthly reports on budgets, expenditures and chargebacks, including variance explanations and follow-up actions.
  • Coordinate with Finance to reconcile data, monitor spending, resolve discrepancies and support timely financial reporting.
  • Support the implementation of costing frameworks, tools and templates for new technologies and materials across internal teams and Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers.
  • Maintain costing data, documentation and standard work to ensure transparency, consistency and audit readiness, and lead benchmarking exercises for selected products and competitors
  • Perform cost comparisons, scenario analyses and business-case calculations to support project decisions and cost optimization.
  • Identify practical process improvements and implement agreed actions that improve data quality, cycle time and operational efficiency.
  • Execute all activities in compliance with the adidas Responsible Sourcing & Purchasing Policy, adidas standards and applicable legal requirements.
  • Contribute to a collaborative, diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace through reliable delivery, ownership and teamplay.

 

 

Key Relationships

  • Engineering & Manufacturing Innovation
  • Regional adidas Innovation Centers and Concept teams
  • Global Sourcing, Finance, and Costing
  • Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers, factory technical teams, and technology providers

 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

  • Good working knowledge of product and material costing, product development, manufacturing or sourcing operations.
  • Strong numerical and analytical skills, with the ability to build costing models, validate data, explain variances and prepare clear recommendations.
  • Demonstrated attention to detail and discipline in maintaining accurate data, documentation, timelines and reporting.
  • Practical problem-solving skills and the ability to translate issues into clear actions and follow through to closure.
  • Sound project coordination and process-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders.
  • Ability to understand new technologies and manufacturing innovations and convert them into practical costing structures and working tools.
  • Clear communication, collaboration and presentation skills, with confidence working across functions and with suppliers.
  • Fluent in English and Chinese, written and spoken.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office and able to use AI tools to improve analysis, documentation and productivity.

 

Requisite Education and Experience

  • University degree in business, finance, engineering, purchasing or a related discipline, or an equivalent qualification.
  • Typically, 3+ years of relevant experience in product costing, manufacturing, product development or project coordination within a multinational environment.
  • Hands-on experience preparing cost analyses, maintaining project or financial data, coordinating cross-functional inputs and delivering work against defined timelines.


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, Innovation Costing

TEAM:  Product Development & Operations
Location:  Guangzhou
State:  GD
Country/Region:  CN
Contract Type:  Full time
Number:  551636
Date:  Nov 3, 2026