PURPOSE & OVERALL RELEVANCE FOR THE ORGANISATION:
In alignment with the global brand creative vision, this role creates and drives footwear product expression for adidas Sportswear, with a focus on Japan marketplace. Working with agility to respond to market trends and consumer insights, the role collaborates closely with cross-functional Product Creation teams to deliver relevant and innovative product concepts, lead the design of local footwear creation projects, and drive market-specific initiatives for adidas Sportswear.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

· Develop Footwear concepts and creative strategies that fulfil ambitious objectives of category net sales

· Work collaboratively within the cross-category design team to create holistic, connected concepts.

· Collaborate closely with Product Marketing to translate strategies into impactful creative concepts and projects that contribute to overall brand success.

· Partner with Development counterparts to innovate and continuously improve product solutions.

· Lead the execution of creative strategies, ensuring end-to-end creative excellence.

· Deliver clear, best-in-class designs and creative solutions for key projects, demonstrating

leadership and setting a high standard of design excellence.

· Stay deeply informed on consumer cultural trends, fashion, sport culture, and industry

insights across relevant categories and disciplines to maximize commercial impact through Design.

· Maximize results within given resources and timelines, applying agility and strong problem-solving skills to drive efficiency and impact.

· Role-model adidas values and actively shape a collaborative, creative, and inclusive team culture.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS:

· Design Directors

· Product Marketing

· Costing, Materials and Product Development

· Global/Local Key Accounts

· Global/Local GTM and Market Teams (BU)

· External Agencies & Creative Resources

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

· Strong visual and verbal communication skills, with the ability to create impactful, inspiring, design visuals.

· Deep product design knowledge with credible expertise in footwear design, materials, construction, and industry trends.

· High proficiency in design and creation tools, including Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft applications, AI-enabled design tools, and 3D software.

· Language skills: English (fluent required); Japanese (fluent required)

· Ability to travel internationally as needed to support projects, partnerships, and collaboration.

REQUISITE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE / MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

· Under-graduate level Design education

· Strong foundation and advanced experience in creative development, including the creation of communication tools, visual storytelling, and design presentations.

· At least 8 years’ experience in Sporting Goods/Fashion Industry Design on managerial level

· 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