Manager Category, Performance SEA
Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization
At adidas, we believe that Sport has the power to change lives. As Category Manager, Performance for Southeast Asia, you will lead category planning and franchise execution across Performance categories. You will translate SEA Performance category direction into strong assortments, clear franchise priorities, and consumer-relevant commercial opportunities that strengthen sports credibility and drive sustainable growth across SEA markets.
Key Responsibilities
Sportswear Category Strategy
- Translate SEA Performance category strategy into seasonal Performance categories opportunities.
- Identify whitespace opportunities, range gaps, and growth initiatives within Performance.
- Support category pricing ladders, depth logic, and portfolio decisions through data-led recommendations.
Franchise & Range Architecture
- Lead franchise planning and lifecycle management across key franchises, balancing brand heat, commercial productivity, and long-term franchise equity.
- Deliver category priorities and portfolio recommendations across Global and SEA GTM milestones, ensuring strong seasonal readiness.
- Shape portfolio architecture through clear depth logic, franchise roles, and strategic category focus.
- Drive cluster category pricing recommendations, supporting competitive positioning and strong commercial returns.
- Monitor and steer Go-In-Margin performance, ensuring healthy profitability across the category portfolio.
Marketplace & Commercial Performance
- Monitor category trends, franchise performance, and competitive landscape to shape strategic category direction and priorities.
- Translate consumer, market, and competitive insights into actionable category recommendations and growth opportunities. Balance regional scale with local market relevance, reflecting cultural nuance and maturity differences across SEA.
- Support post-season reviews with clear portfolio recommendations for future cycles.
Cross‑Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with Brand, GTM, MOPS, Demand Planning, Supply Chain, and Finance teams.
- Serve as the key link between Emerging Markets Category teams and SEA markets, translating strategy both ways.
- Support brand and marketing teams with category stories, franchise focus, and product narratives.
Consumer & Market Insights
- Embed consumer insights, trend research, and marketplace intelligence into category decisions.
- Monitor competitive landscape and category performance across SEA.
- Champion a consumer‑centric mindset in all planning and execution.
Stakeholder Management & Leadership
- Build strong cross-functional partnerships across SEA and Emerging Markets teams.
- Influence with clarity through data-backed recommendations and category expertise.
- Support capability building with markets through frameworks, guidance, and best practices.
- Role model adidas values, collaboration and consumer-first thinking
Key Relationships
- Internal: EM Category Teams, SEA Market Leadership, Brand, GTM, MOPS, Commercial, Demand Planning, SCM, Finance
- External (as relevant): Key wholesale and retail partners
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
Professional Experience
- 5-8 years of experience in category management, merchandising, or commercial roles, ideally within a global consumer or sportswear brand.
- Proven experience working in regional or multi‑market environments, preferably in Southeast Asia.
- Strong understanding of retail, wholesale, and DTC dynamics.
Functional Skills
- Expertise in assortment planning, line architecture and pricing, and category performance management.
- Strong commercial and analytical acumen; able to turn data into clear actions.
- Experience working within seasonal GTM processes & milestones.
- Fluent in Excel, merchandising tools, and analytics platforms.
Leadership & Behaviors
- Strategic thinker with a strong execution mindset.
- Confident communicator with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
- Comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving alignment.
- Collaborative, inclusive, and consumer‑obsessed.
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.