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Senior Director Product & Buying Kids

Senior Director Product & Buying Kids

 

Area:                                                                                       Market GCA

Department:                                                                           Kids

Direct Reporting Line:                                                           SVP Branding Marketing, GCA

Indirect/Secondary Reporting Line:                                     

Subsidiary/Country:                                                               GCA

Location:                                                                                Shanghai

GSMS Grade:                                                                                         M1

Personnel Managed:                                                                YES

Cost Center/Budget and/or Revenue Responsibility:          

 

 

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

 

Act as BU Head for the Kids category, owning the end-to-end product and buying strategy. Lead category vision, product direction, assortment architecture, buying excellence, and marketplace execution to deliver sustainable and profitable growth.

 

Key Responsibilities:  

 

  • Drive & develop 3-5 year category plan based on overall adidas SBP process (in collaboration with Global)
  • Provide BU leadership within category (across all related functions & departments) on vision, strategic objectives/actions & financial targets as defined in brand SBP
  • Responsible for BU category forecast within IBP, all channels.
  • Deliver financial expectations set out in the SBP/IBP across all channels and countries.
  • Define category CI and lead the communication with Global BU to deliver solution that address GCA needs.
  • Define & implement category availability and pricing strategy across GCA country cluster & channels
  • Deliver powerful, compelling, commercial, viable range/concept/key franchise selection for GCA to support the overall brand strategy, purpose & direction.
  • Create and Own Seasonal Product plan and calendar, collaborate with Brand Activation to align prioritization of category and key concepts allocation.
  • Lead all creation needs, validate SMU requests for GCA and leverage CCH & CCS to fulfill GCA needs to support the SBP. Effective application of speed to market.
  • Take responsibility for Sell-through and sustainable lifecycle management of the category across GCA, develop performance tracking dashboards and share update with Global BU
  • Approval of country corrective deviation plans – if required
  • Drive performance and development culture
  • Drive employee engagement, leading by example
  • Identify and develop high-potential talents, to fuel the team's succession plan
  • Look for opportunities to provide cross-functional experiences to identified high-potential talents from both, in and outside of the team.
  • Manage allocated category OPEX & T&E to fulfill business priorities.
  • Own end-to-end buying strategy and assortment architecture and marketplace priorities.
  • Lead OTB planning and investment allocation to maximize sales productivity and inventory efficiency.
  • Establish strategic buying frameworks, assortment segmentation, depth allocation, and category investment priorities.
  • Develop and manage purchase plans that align with Open-to-Buy (OTB) budgets and company financial goals.
  • Implement new product/category introductions with a structured rollout plan.

 

 

KPI’s:

 

  • Market P&L for category (NS, inventory, Std Margin, Contribution)
  • Sell Out all channels
  • 3-5 year category plan : achievement of key initiatives
  • Brand & key categories NPS
  • Execution excellence in brand concepts/stories
  • Market share

 

 

Key Relationships:

 

  • MOPS, PMO
  • Brand Activation, Omni-channel Buying
  • Global BU
  • Demand Planning, Finance (Marketing ROI), Supply Chain Management
  • Product Sales (All Channels)
  • CCS
  • Account sales
  • Franchise Operations Team
  • Brand Marketing Kids Team

 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

  • Ability to develop and implement strategy.
  • Proven leadership and management abilities especially in managing a diverse ~10 people team (incl. remote management)
  • Strong presentation/communication, negotiation and influencing skills, especially with senior stakeholders within a global matrix organization.
  • Broad Brand management experience, with a distinct track record of success including expert Merchandising knowledge and trading mentality.
  • Strong cross-functional and stakeholder management experience across commercial functions (e.g. marketing, sales, etc.) and support functions (finance preferred), as well as different organizational levels (Global, Market, etc.)
  • Strong industry knowledge, across divisions—footwear, apparel and accessories—and across all BUs.
  • Expert understanding of Asian markets’ consumers, accounts, economic environment, and commercial needs
  • Act with agility without losing the strategic focus and ability to lead a team through ambiguity in fast-paced consumer goods market segment.  
  • Strong business acumen, with the ability to manage processes, projects, and drive operational efficiency.
  • Strong decision-making skills, balancing data insights with business priorities.

 

 

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualification

  • 12-15+ years of experience in merchandising/product, marketing, sales/retail required. Regional experience preferred.
  • University degree in Business or equivalent professional experience, ideally in Sales and/or Marketing, MBA preferred
  • Previous experience in managing a global matrix organization required
  • Sporting goods industry experience required
  • Fluent in English
  • Fluent in local language (if applicable) preferred
  • Has lived and worked in different cultures or has substantial experience working in regional teams
  • Willingness to travel upwards of 20% of time

 

 

AT ADIDAS WE HAVE A WINNING CULTURE. BUT TO WIN, PHYSICAL POWER IS NOT ENOUGH. JUST LIKE ATHLETES OUR EMPLOYEES NEED MENTAL STRENGTH IN THEIR GAME. WE FOSTER THE ATHLETE’S MINDSET THROUGH A SET OF BEHAVIORS THAT WE WANT TO ENABLE AND DEVELOP IN OUR PEOPLE AND THAT ARE AT THE CORE OF OUR UNIQUE COMPANY CULTURE: THIS IS HOW WE WIN WHILE PLAYING FAIR.

  • COURAGE: Speak up when you see an opportunity; step up when you see a need..
  • OWNERSHIP: Pick up the ball. Be proactive, take responsibility and follow-through.
  • INNOVATION: Elevate to win. Be curious, test and learn new and better ways of doing things.
  • TEAMPLAY: Win together. Work collaboratively and cultivate a shared mindset.
  • INTEGRITY: Play by the rules. Hold yourself and others accountable to our company’s standards.
  • RESPECT: Value all players. Display empathy, be inclusive and show dignity to all.


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.

Job Title:  Senior Director Product & Buying Kids

Brand: 
Location:  Shanghai
TEAM:  Brand Management & Communications
State:  SH
Country/Region:  CN
Contract Type:  Full time
Number:  546865
Date:  Jul 3, 2026
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