Senior Manager, Product Development Apparels (Sportswear) 2
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Senior Product Development Manager is responsible for the end to end product creation process with a strong and explicit focus on Speed to Market.
The role ensures that all styles progress through the development cycle efficiently, from product brief through development to final commercialization, without compromising product integrity, margin targets or quality standards.
The position requires deep product and manufacturing expertise and close collaboration with cross functional teams and manufacturing partners to accelerate timelines, enable confident decision making and drive operational excellence throughout the product creation process.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
SPEED-TO-MARKET
• Champion Speed to Market as a core priority across all product creation stages.
• Identify timeline risks early and implement proactive, agile problem solving to maintain or accelerate development milestones.
• Streamline workflows with Design, Sourcing, Materials, Costing and T1 partners to reduce cycle times.
• Drive clarity, decision-making and process efficiency to deliver products to market faster. Identify structural opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce development time and optimize processes.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & COMMERCIALIZATION
• Oversee the complete development of assigned styles, from briefing to commercialization, while ensuring speed, product integrity and manufacturability.
• Review prototypes, manage fit approvals and validate materials, colors, trims and other product specifications.
• Ensure margin achievement, target FOB and alignment with Create-to-Value principles.
• Coordinate with HQ and creation centers to maintain speed, alignment and transparency.
PEOPLE CULTURE
• Lead by example, fostering a culture of agility, ownership and continuous improvement.
• Promote a mindset focused on responsiveness, adaptability and problem-solving.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to influence and align cross-functional teams around Speed-to-Market goals.
• Highly adaptable, results-driven and solution oriented.
PROFILE
• Bachelor’s degree in Clothing Technology, Textile Engineering, Apparel Manufacturing or related fields.
• Minimum 7+ years experience in Product Creation or Product Development in Apparel
• Strong end to end understanding of product development with proven ownership from briefing to commercialization.
• Deep technical expertise in garment construction, manufacturing, material testing, costing and fit evaluation.
• Confident decision maker with strong problem solving and prioritization skills.
• Experience working with PDM/PLM systems and MS Office.
• Strong negotiation and communication skills in fast-paced, international environments.
• Fluent in English (written and spoken).
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.