Category Director (m/f/d) Women Apparel Speed - BU Originals - temp until 28.02.2027
adidas is an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from people of all ages, genders (incl. gender identity), ethnic and social backgrounds, nationalities, sexual orientations, religions and beliefs, and those with apparent or non-apparent disabilities*. We do not tolerate harassment or discrimination toward any of our applicants or employees.
*We actively encourage individuals with disabilities to apply and will provide reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process.
PURPOSE
As a Director in Product Marketing, you set the strategic direction for Women Apparel Speed within the Originals Business Unit (BU). You lead the translation of the BU vision into consumer-relevant and commercially impactful product strategies, ensuring strong alignment between brand direction, fashion and sport lifestyle trends, and marketplace opportunities.
You bring deep expertise in apparel, women’s consumer behavior, and fashion-led sport lifestyle product creation. You combine strategic thinking with a strong Speed mindset, enabling agile decision-making, cross-functional alignment, and fast reaction to evolving consumer and market trends while protecting product integrity and brand DNA.
You empower cross-functional teams, foster innovation, and ensure global consistency in storytelling, product execution, and range direction. Your role is instrumental in driving category growth, strengthening strategic partnerships, and shaping the future of Women’s Originals Apparel through elevated product and marketplace excellence.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Translate the BU vision into a clear and commercially relevant Women Apparel Speed strategy, ensuring alignment with consumer, market, and brand needs
- Drive strategic seasonal portfolio planning and execution, balancing trend relevance, speed-to-market, commercial opportunities, and long-term franchise building
- Leverage deep understanding of fashion, sport lifestyle, and women’s consumer trends to create compelling and differentiated product direction
- Lead the creation and management of consumer-right apparel assortments with strong understanding of fit, silhouette, fabrication, styling, pricing architecture, and wardrobe-building principles
- Identify new business growth opportunities through market, consumer, account, and competitive analysis to drive innovation and marketplace differentiation
- Own the full product creation lifecycle, ensuring strong cross-functional alignment between Product Marketing, Design, Development, GTM, Brand Communications, and Commercial teams
- Drive and foster a strong Speed mindset across teams by enabling agile ways of working, simplifying complexity, accelerating decision-making, and prioritizing consumer and business impact
- Operate effectively within fast-paced and evolving environments, demonstrating adaptability, resilience, and strong prioritization capabilities under compressed timelines
- Ensure product creation processes, calendars, and milestones are managed effectively to support efficient and high-quality range development
- Maintain strong oversight of product data integrity across internal systems, ensuring accurate alignment with planning, costing, and communication requirements
- Provide strategic guidance on product attributes, segmentation, pricing, and positioning to ensure alignment with category and brand direction
- Build and maintain strong strategic partnerships with key accounts, external collaborators, and marketplace partners to identify synergies and drive mutually beneficial business opportunities
- Manage external stakeholder relationships effectively, balancing account opportunities and commercial demands with long-term brand and category priorities
- Partner closely with wholesale and key account teams to ensure consumer-relevant assortments, differentiated storytelling, and strong marketplace execution
- Deliver relevant concept direction and ensure alignment across connected functions including GTM, Brand Communications, Sports & Culture Marketing, Creative Direction & Innovation, and Commercial teams
- Lead KPI tracking including buying volume, revenue, margin, sell-through, and marketplace performance to drive future product and business decisions
- Drive continuous improvement and organizational alignment through strong leadership, change management, and cross-functional collaboration
- Successfully manage performance, staffing, and employee engagement while leading, motivating, and developing a diverse team of managers and experts
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
- Expert-level understanding of the global fashion, sport lifestyle, and women’s apparel industry
- Deep expertise in women’s consumer behavior, lifestyle trends, styling needs, and fashion adoption cycles across regions and channels
- Strong apparel product creation expertise including fit, silhouette, fabrication, pricing architecture, and range management
- Proven ability to lead within Speed creation environments, demonstrating agility, adaptability, and strong decision-making under pressure and ambiguity
- Strong understanding of wholesale, key account, and marketplace dynamics within global retail and e-commerce environments
- Excellent strategic and commercial acumen with strong analytical and data-driven decision-making capabilities
- Ability to balance fast reaction to trends and opportunities while maintaining product integrity, quality, and brand consistency
- Exceptional communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills across all organizational levels
- Proven ability to simplify complexity, resolve conflicts, and align cross-functional stakeholders in fast-moving environments
- Strong leadership capabilities with experience driving organizational change and transformation initiatives
- High level of consumer obsession and passion for fashion-led sport lifestyle product and culture
- Creative and lateral thinking with the ability to challenge norms and drive innovation
- Ability to travel and authentically represent the passion and energy of the Originals brand
QUALIFICATIONS
- University degree (BA / MA / MBA) in Marketing, Business Administration, Product Management, Fashion Management, or related field
- Extensive experience (10+ years) in Product Marketing, Category Management, Brand Management, or Apparel Product Creation within fashion, sport, or lifestyle industries
- Strong experience within women’s apparel and demonstrated understanding of the women’s consumer
- Proven experience managing apparel product creation from concept to market across multiple channels and business models
- Demonstrated success working with strategic wholesale partners, external collaborators, and key accounts in fast-paced marketplace environments
- Proven leadership experience in highly cross-functional and matrixed organizations
- Strong understanding of global retail, digital commerce, and omnichannel business models
- Excellent English; fluency in another language relevant to key markets is strongly preferred
- Digital fluency in Office 365 applications and product and marketing tools
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.