Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization: 

This is an exciting position that will directly contribute to a strong corporate governance environment through developing, coordinating, implementing and measuring performance of a meaningful system of internal controls throughout adidas.  

The Senior Specialist Internal Controls System is tasked to work with business process owners to build a comprehensive system covering key risks and controls to enable testing to be performed by Markets, Functions and Global Business Services (GBS). The results of effectiveness of internal controls testing performed is periodically summarized and presented on a timely regular basis, including to the Chief Audit Officer, the Chief Financial Officer and the Audit Committee of the Supervisory Board.  

This role involves being a key team member of the ICS team within the Corporate Internal Audit (CIA) department. For purposes of independence and objectivity, this department operates separate from Internal Audit without pooling or sharing of resources, while also realizing synergies and opportunities for sharing of relevant information, systems and capabilities (including back office support within CIA).  

This position offers learning, development and creation opportunities in an international environment within a multi-cultural, sports enthusiastic team that values inclusion and diversity. The team embraces change and innovation in order to support the company mission to be the best sports company in the world.  

Key Responsibilities:  

• Internal Controls Framework: Support the Global ICS team in defining, documenting and enabling testing of framework of key internal controls across all business processes (e.g. financial statement closing, order-to-cash, source-to-pay, concept-to-shelf, human resources) sales channels (e.g. wholesale, franchise, retail, e-commerce) and entity level controls (e.g. policies, tone from the top). Partner with business process owners and other governance functions for regular timely updates to framework of key controls definition in risk-control matrices. 

• Support the continuous maintenance of the ‘ICS testing manual’ and relevant standard operating procedures to ensure high-quality ICS testing at Market / GBS / Corporate Function and entity level.  

• Communications: Support ICS leadership with preparing timely and regular communication to company-wide internal controls community, key contacts at Market / Function / GBS and Corporate level as well as with other assurance functions. Maintain ICS communication platforms including Teams channel(s), SharePoint and Yammer sites and ad hoc communications as needed. 

• Quality assurance: Reviewing ICS testing results and documentation (on a sample basis) at Market / GBS / Corporate Function and entity level. 

• Reporting: Support ICS leadership by preparing timely and regular reporting of results of internal controls testing, actions to remediate issues, internal controls automation, key initiatives and improvement opportunities. 

• Support projects on company-wide corporate governance issues, e.g. S4 HANA ERP implementation, Celonis implementation, etc.  

• Business partnering with local ICS colleagues and Corporate Functions, e.g. provide data sets for ICS Testing, support during ICS Testing, etc.  

• Continuously expand and upgrade knowledge and skills by utilizing resources such as reading materials, and attending training workshops. Obtain breadth of understanding of key processes, systems, initiatives and business models at adidas.  

• Enhance day-to-day processes and suggest improvement opportunities, develop and enhance internal controls tools (e.g. testing templates), share best practices. 

Key Relationships:  

• Internal Controls resources at Market, Function and Global Business Services (GBS) 

• Aligned Assurance functions, including Internal Audit, Risk Management, Legal & Compliance, Corporate Accounting, Information Security, etc. 

• Corporate Internal Audit team 

• Global functions and Market contacts covering all areas of the business: Internal Controls, Sales, Brand, Finance & GBS, Human Resources, Global Operations and Corporate Functions 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:  

• Solution-oriented, adaptable, self-motivated, driven and committed team player with integrity and perseverance. Able to accept and meet deadlines, involving effective time management capacity and sense of priorities and agility. 

• Good analytic capabilities to manage large volume of information from various sources (interviews, data) and perform robust risk assessments . Experience with data analytics extremely beneficial. 

• Good interpersonal skills combined with a high degree of customer orientation; can adapt and navigate easily within a changing environment and complex organizations; able to connect with a variety functions, audiences, management styles, or cultures and create/foster stakeholder relationships.  

• Curious and growth mindset, keen to learn and approach subjects outside of comfort zone, able to think critically and bring in different perspectives (e.g. transferable skills).   

• Comfortable to present and communicate in English effectively, both in writing and verbally.  

• Additional language skills would be advantageous (e.g. German, Mandarin, Spanish, etc.). 

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:  

• University degree in a business-related discipline (e.g. Accounting/Controlling/Finance, Management, Business Administration,  International Business etc.)  

• 2+ years of assurance, advisory or consulting experience, preferably within a multi-national organization or professional services firm.  

• Strong interest, passion or practical experience in consumer products industry, diverse sales channels and brands (e.g. Tech, Fraud, Supply Chain, Wholesale, Retail, eCommerce, Digital, Finance).  

• Professional designations (e.g. CIA, CPA, CISA, CFE, etc.) preferred