Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

· Develop and steer the Originals, Basketball, and Partnerships design vision into product expression across apparel, accessories, and footwear in partnership with the product creation team.

· Lead and manage the internal creative teams to achieve world class results

Key Responsibilities:

· Manage and foster creativity within the design team to ensure that the Company creates and manufactures products that meet the needs of the product collaboration partner, key accounts, and consumers.

· Close collaboration with Product Marketing and Development to implement strategies, concepts, and projects for the overall success.

· Collaborate with development to find new and more innovative methods of working to improve products and product ranges.

· Lead the execution of creative strategies to ensure end to end creative excellence, from sell-in to sellout (consumer-facing).

· Manage, supervise, and provide feedback and development opportunities for teams.

· Provide designs and/or creative solutions with clarity for key projects to demonstrate leadership and set a high standard of design excellence.

· Inspire and motivate teams to pursue cutting-edge ideas that are innovative in the market.

· Be up to date on consumers, cultural trends, fashion, sports culture, and athletic findings across multiple categories and disciplines.

· Maximise results within given resource and timeframes

· Be a role model to embrace the adidas values and help teams shape the collaborative culture.

Key Relationships:

· Design Directors, Creative Directors

· Product Marketing

· External Partner(s)

· Global/Local Key Accounts

· Global/Local GTM team

· Product Operations

· Costing, Materials, and Development

· Project Management

· External Agencies & Creative Resources

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

· IT skills: Excel, Word, PowerPoint: advanced

· Design apps: expert

· Strong visual and verbal skills with the ability to create impactful/exciting visuals

· Profound textile, graphic, apparel/accessories/footwear design knowledge, and credible expertise

· Ability to manage a team of personnel, direct and indirect

· Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed

· Language: English- excellent, Japanese- basic

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

· Under-graduate level Design education or combination thereof

· Solid education and advanced experience in the creative development of communication tools

· At least 10 years’ experience in Sporting Goods/Fashion Industry or Design on managerial level

· At least 5+ years personnel management experience

· Proven experience with the entire design process (project scope and time planning, design steps, production/execution of design solution, pre-press processes)

· Passion for adidas and its mission

· Passion for sports, culture, design