Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

This position is directly integral to the on-going focus on Corporate Governance directly business partnering the North America Retail business. It’s aimed at improving the retail risk and internal controls framework by;

1. Identifying governance and efficiency gaps in Market North America
2. Ensuring compliance with established processes and driving continuous improvement of those processes
3. Primary objectives are the protection of company assets as well as ensuring effectiveness and efficiency of operations, reliability of reporting and compliance with applicable external laws and internal regulations
4. Leading initiatives focused on improving the efficiency, transparency and effectiveness of business processes.
5. Responsible for working with management throughout the risk management lifecycle (e.g., how to identify and quantify risk as well as guidance during the decision-making process on how to manage identified risks and monitor the risk mitigating measures).
6. Participation in local Supervisory Board meetings or similar committees while maintaining the function’s status as independent 2nd line of defence for the company  

Key Responsibilities:

Adherence to the underlying principles: risk prevention, awareness, compliance, detection, investigation, resolution

Risk Prevention

• Business partner retail & franchise to fulfil their risk prevention objectives, supporting growth
• Advice and work closely with the Market teams to review, improve, and harmonize processes and update retail/ omnichannel relevant policies and retail / omnichannel controls accordingly
• Lead and influence the development of strategies to improve operations and overall performance
• Carry out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the company policies, code of conduct and applicable laws
• Lead Retail risk management reporting and highlighting areas of concern (e.g., product / cash loss)

Awareness

• Consult, coach and inspire the relevant Market North America teams to maximize their potential impact on losses, with a consumer first mindset supporting growth and profit
• Drive awareness/maintain knowledge of the Global Policy Manual on local level incl. an understanding of emerging developments and addressing of recommended policy changes to GP&IC
• Develop and maintain relationships with stakeholders across all relevant functions and markets to ensure appropriate best practice knowledge for all Market Processes
• Proactive management of matrix and cross market aspects to ensure a consistent one North America voice to all stakeholders

Compliance

• Lead timely coordination/execution of all ICS & RM relevant processes (e.g. testing, store audits, shrink monitoring) incl. the mandatory documentation in all relevant systems and monitoring remediation of all identified control deficiencies in collaboration with retail management teams
• Lead Risk assessment for all actions linked to the market’s retail business and enabling the retail management team to support the overall compliance standards

Detection

• Drive the development of new and optimize existing reporting & analysis tools to increase efficiency and enable fact-based decision making
• Lead the development and maintenance of the Marketplace Reporting & Analysis for IC & RM
• Utilizes company systems, 3rd party on-line sites, social networking sites, local and regional groups (e.g., organized retail crime associations (ORCAs), other retail and law enforcement personal in the identification of career criminals and organized retail crime groups
• Lead proactive data analysis and monitoring off all retail activities (e.g., OMNI channel) to identify risks and non-compliance relevant patterns but also to identify potential for further process improvements to enable growth potential for the retail business and supporting functions

Investigation

• Lead management of retail investigations according to market and global investigations standards as well as ensuring that the market standards are comparable to industry standards
• Lead and conduct investigations, process evaluations and data analysis proactively to identify emerging fraudulent trends linked to Market North America’s retail business
• Lead, detect and investigate internal crimes against the company including theft, fraud, embezzlement, POS manipulation, etc.

Resolution

• Advice and influence decision processes by relevant stakeholders and upper management respective identified risks and handling of potential mitigation measures
• Enabling and enforcing constant improvements focusing on efficient and effective governance for the company
• Lead, ensure and perform root cause analysis for relevant issues

Manage all relevant HR processes as people manager on time and constantly ensuring an inclusive, high performance and growth-oriented culture within the Market’s IC & RM team and its stakeholders

Key Relationships:

• Retail Senior management; business and supporting functions
• Market North America Senior management; business and supporting functions
• Global governance functions (e.g., Internal Controls)
• Global Business Services

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong leadership profile
• Experience in performing risk assessments and identifying key business and financial risks
• Ability to bridge strategic, tactical, and operational business concepts and developments by applying an end-to-end global mindset
• Strong in analytics and reporting; translation into business impact as well as preparing meaningful decision templates based on the analytics and impact evaluation
• Excellent project management and process management skills
• Excellent organizational, problem-solving, negotiation and resolution skills.
• Strong experience in an omni-channel environment
• Fluent in English and fluent in the respective local administrative language
• Previous exposure to retail with understanding of omnichannel processes
• Excellent communication skills and high degree of stakeholder orientation
• Commitment to exemplifying the highest integrity and professional business standards
• MS office suite of products – upper intermediate to advanced
• Travel time approx. 35%
• At adidas we offer a Hybrid work policy which requires attendance in the office Monday through Thursday, with the flexibility to work remotely on Friday each week. For work requiring a high degree of collaboration or an in person presentation, in-office attendance is required even on Friday. 

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• 8 years+ in US based retail related functions or economic crime investigation
• 5 years+ people manager experience for virtual and local teams
• 2 years + exposure to omnichannel risk identification and risk management
• University degree or tertiary education

adidas offers robust and progressive medical, including HSA (Health Savings Account) with employer funding or FSA (Flexible Spending Account) options, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, adoption, with surrogate and fertility support, short and long-term disability, and basic life and AD&D insurance, which can be supplemented with employee-paid coverage. Employees are able to enroll in adidas’ 401k plan and Stock Purchase Plan with employer match. Full-time employees are eligible for education assistance and generous Leave policies including 12 weeks of paid parental leave. 
Employees are eligible to earn an annual bonus based on both company and personal performance. Employees accrue prorated flexible time off in the amount .4388 hours per day that increases with years of service, twelve paid holidays throughout the calendar year and Service Time Off during milestone years.At adidas we offer a Hybrid work policy which requires attendance in the office Monday through Thursday, with the flexibility to work remotely on Friday each week. For work requiring a high degree of collaboration or an in-person presentation, in-office attendance is required even on Friday.  The working location of this position is Portland, Oregon.
Though our teammates hail from all corners of the world, our working language is English.