Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

We’ll never launch a product unless we consider it perfect. Our product development teams create every shirt, every shoe and every piece of equipment for thousands of athletes and fashion lovers as if it was one of a kind. And it truly is, as they weave their passion into every single product. But translating designs, drawings and renderings into real products requires a lot of decision making.

As Senior Manager Materials Development Footwear you are a key contributor in the footwear material development process by ensuring the end-to-end availability of innovative materials, which support the strategic marketing & design direction to enable commercial success, including the selection of right materials according to calendar timelines, target prices, sourcing policy, and quality standards. You will lead and support the continuous improvement and evolvement of internal processes and new initiatives and represent the Materials Development Team on Management Level.

Key Responsibilities:

• Be the key contact and consultant for all material related questions for all interfaces.
• Lead all cross-functional partner discussions related to materials topics, steer the material selection process and drive material consolidation to improve efficiency.

• Collaborate with interfaces such as Design, Creation Center Product Development, Material Sourcing, Quality, horizontal Materials, Sustainability and Suppliers to identify strategic Material Management information needs and develop tools and reports that enable Product teams to make fact based, faster material and product decisions.
• Ensure availability and accuracy of materials data in internal administration system and manage in-depth reporting of material management data.
• Identify suitable sources for new material developments according to sourcing strategy and in line with product allocation and global external partners.  
• Interact and guide Tier 2 suppliers to translate the design vision into new, innovative material which meet commercial needs of the brand.
• Initiate and monitor all seasonal material developments (work together with Tier 2 suppliers, Sourcing, Quality and Advanced Creation) and be responsible for initial material price negotiations and proto sampling yardage bookings with suppliers during development stage
• Invoice Handling and Management for fabric and proto development bookings

• Ensure that all selected materials, composites, and components are tested and released in accordance with applicable calendar timelines and adidas quality standards.
• Provide material related risk management analysis by category and lead all activities on proactive risk management by taking relevant decisions on material/supplier changes.
• Cooperate with cross-functional teams to achieve material consolidation targets and provide guidance on how to improve material efficiencies in close alignment with Materials and Product Development.
• Continuous improvement through regular consolidation and verification of materials library for cross functional communities, enforce material sharing where possible.
• Establish and provide regular Material Market relevant trend data as well as macroeconomic trends and developments.
• Drive department internal process management and continuous improvement of all material development processes and initiatives globally.
• Develop and execute regular reports of material management data focusing on material usage reports across our key material types and categories.
• Collaborate with horizontal teams and interact with relevant IT owners to ensure alignment between systems and process needs.
• Create, maintain and communicate Material relevant timelines. Ensure representation of Materials key milestones in Product Creation Calendars.
• Represent the Materials team in cross-functional initiatives and projects.
• Establish and provide latest information/research on material trends to the respective Business Units/ categories also by gathering input from internal stakeholders, fairs, supplier meetings, apparel material show etc.
• Responsible for working with horizontal teams to translate the innovation and sustainable concepts to business plan in Business Units.
• Support and guide junior team members within own team.
• Mentor new employees in materials development by teaching them about adidas specific technical standards, processes and systems related to the tech package creation.

Key Relationships:

• Marketing

• Design
• Product Development & Sourcing
• Suppliers Tier 1 and Tier 2
• IT

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Excellent influencing skills and solution-oriented mindset
• Advanced knowledge of the footwear creation process, identify and call out material related issues and offer alternatives to parties involved
• Enhanced planning and organization skills, ability to multi-tasking
• Ability to work with people at all hierarchy levels in an organization
• Experience in working with multiple stakeholders
• Ability to projects and implement changes at a global level
• Language proficiency in English and Chinese are required
• Strong IT skills (e-mail, MS office), ability to work with internal material data base and reporting tool, preferably first experience in 3D creation process
• Business travel
• Continuous learning/growth mindset

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• College/ university degree or comparable degree/education in engineering, preferable in chemical engineering or related field (synthetics, films, knits, injected materials, etc.)
• Alternatively, combination of relevant education, experience, and training 
• At least 4 years of relevant work experience in material development or associated field