Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

The Legal & Regulatory Manager - Retail Operations & Permits will lead the legal and regulatory strategy and execution for permits, licenses, inspections, administrative proceedings and regulatory risks related to adidas own retail operations in Mexico.

This role is responsible for ensuring that adidas has a clear, structured and risk-based permitting model for store openings, ongoing operations and the regularization of existing Brand Centers. The position acts as the key legal owner for retail regulatory matters, coordinating with Real Estate, Retail Operations, Finance, external counsel, gestores and government authorities.

The role protects business continuity, reduces regulatory exposure, improves predictability in permit processes and supports the business with clear legal guidance. The position owns process execution, legal strategy, governance and escalation, while recognizing that government approvals, authority response times and final outcomes remain subject to applicable legal requirements and authority discretion.

Key Responsibilities:

Retail Permits & Regulatory Execution

• Own the end-to-end legal execution of permits, licenses and authorizations required for adidas own retail stores in Mexico.
• Manage the acquisition, renewal, maintenance and regularization of key permits at municipal, state and federal levels.
• Lead the regulatory regularization program for existing Brand Centers, including risk classification, prioritization and action plans.
• Maintain end-to-end visibility of the regulatory status of the store portfolio, including permits, licenses, inspections, renewals, pending actions and risks.
• Coordinate with Real Estate and Retail Operations to ensure required documents, operational inputs and payments are provided on time.
• Manage external providers, gestores and counsel involved in permit processes, including performance, deliverables and escalation.

Administrative Law & Government Authority Management

• Lead legal strategy for administrative procedures, inspections, regulatory visits, sanctions, fines and authority requirements.
• Manage interactions with municipal, state and federal authorities in connection with store operations, permits, inspections and regulatory matters.
• Assess legal risks arising from authority discretion, incomplete documentation, operational gaps or changes to store projects.
• Coordinate responses to administrative requirements, notices, inspection minutes, preventive measures and sanctions.
• Define, together with the Legal Director when needed, escalation strategy for high-risk matters involving potential closure, fines, reputational impact or business interruption.
• Support the business in understanding administrative law implications related to store operations, including authority criteria, procedural risks and documentation needs.

Economic Competition Support

• Identify and escalate potential economic competition risks connected to retail operations, commercial practices, local market interactions, exclusivity discussions, restrictions, pricing coordination or information exchanges.
• Provide first-level legal review or coordinate specialist support for matters involving commercial practices that may have competition law implications.
• Support training and awareness for Retail, Real Estate and Commercial teams on high-risk behaviors from an economic competition perspective.
• Coordinate with the Legal Director and external counsel on matters requiring deeper economic competition analysis or interaction with competition authorities.
• Ensure that vendor, landlord, shopping center or commercial discussions do not create unnecessary exposure from an economic competition standpoint.

Store Openings, Remodeling & Business Continuity

• Act as the legal owner for permit readiness in new store openings, remodelings, relocations and relevant store projects.
• Provide a legal go/no-go view from a permitting and regulatory perspective.
• Flag dependencies, risks and mitigation actions early in the project timeline.
• Support business continuity by minimizing risks of sanctions, delays, closures or operational interruptions.
• Ensure the business understands that authority approvals and timelines are subject to legal requirements and authority discretion.

Fines, Sanctions & Risk Mitigation

• Track fines, sanctions, administrative proceedings and recurring regulatory issues.
• Identify root causes and propose preventive measures.
• Define and monitor corrective action plans with accountable business owners.
• Prepare clear reporting for leadership on exposure, status, priorities and required decisions.
• Escalate high-risk issues to the Legal Director with a recommended path forward.

Governance, Reporting & Process Improvement

• Build and maintain a national permits tracker with risk status, owner, dependency, deadline and next action.
• Develop standard checklists, escalation criteria and documentation requirements for retail permits.
• Improve predictability, quality and speed of permit processes through clear governance.
• Establish ways of working with Real Estate, Retail Operations, Finance and external providers.
• Deliver executive-level updates that are clear, accurate and decision-oriented.

Expected Outcomes / Measures of Success:

• Clear visibility of the regulatory status of the store portfolio.
• Prioritized risk map for permits and regularization of Brand Centers.
• Timely execution and follow-up of permit processes within Legal’s control.
• Reduced recurrence of preventable fines, sanctions and documentation gaps.
• Stronger governance with external gestores and legal providers.
• Clear escalation of high-risk regulatory matters.
• Improved coordination with Real Estate and Retail Operations.
• Better predictability in store opening and regularization processes.

Key Relationships:

• Legal Director
• Real Estate & Store Development
• Retail Operations
• Finance
• Store Development / Construction
• Compliance
• Commercial / Sales, when relevant
• Brand / Marketing, when store activations or local authority permits are involved
• Municipal, state and federal authorities
• External counsel, gestores and regulatory service providers
• Shopping centers / landlords, when linked to regulatory documentation

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Legal / Technical Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of administrative law and regulatory procedures in Mexico.
• Understanding of permits, licenses, inspections and administrative sanctions related to retail operations.
• Ability to manage authority interactions and administrative risk.
• Working knowledge of economic competition principles applicable to retail and commercial conduct.
• Ability to coordinate external counsel and gestores.
• Ability to translate legal risks into practical business recommendations.

Business and Leadership Skills

• Strong ownership mindset and execution discipline.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and authority discretion.
• Strong stakeholder management with Legal, Real Estate, Retail and external parties.
• Clear executive communication and reporting.
• Ability to prioritize based on risk, business impact and urgency.
• Structured approach to trackers, SLAs, governance and escalation.

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• Law degree or equivalent legal qualification in Mexico.
• Experience in legal, regulatory or administrative law roles supporting business operations in Mexico.
• Experience managing permits, licenses, administrative procedures, inspections or interactions with government authorities.
• Experience coordinating external counsel, gestores or regulatory service providers.
• Experience supporting multi-site operations, retail operations, real estate projects or regulated operational environments.
• Experience preparing legal risk assessments, executive reporting and action plans.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams and translating legal requirements into operational execution.
• Exposure to economic competition matters is desirable.
• English proficiency is desirable given adidas’ regional/global environment.