Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

• Champion innovative and cutting-edge solutions to drive the inline business forward.
• Be an integral part of driving footwear creation support for adidas through a strategic partnership with external partners, ensuring strategic integration and alignment with Business Unit (BU) strategic directives.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners (Creation Center Herzogenaurach (CCH)/Creation Center Portland (CCP)/Product Marketing, Global Operations, Creation Center Tokyo Development) and external partners to co-develop future global inline franchises.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own and drive the integration and communication of inline creation support through external partners into the BU Strategic Business Plan (SBP).

• Be the Single Point of Contact and bridge between global BUs and external partners.

• Lead the seasonal development and execution of the global BU co-creation through external partners, aligned with BU seasonal and future strategy, target consumer insights, and commercial input from BU and external partners.

• Lead workshops/off-sites with cross-functional teams to gather further insights and requirements needed to build future capabilities to support the creation/refinement of future franchises.

• Partner with external partners, CCH Development, Testing, and other stakeholders, including CCH, to translate product and consumer experience demands into concrete requirements for internal and external vendors to use in order to build front and back capabilities.

• Create transparency for cross-functional stakeholders and track the creation process throughout the project phases to ensure on-time delivery.

• Define clear project deliverables, timelines, and metrics of success.

• Drive change management and educate inline cross-functional product creation teams as well as factory/vendor teams on new methodologies, techniques, and insights from our external partners.

• Execute product testing for the Japan market, based on the requirement from the global team                          

Key Relationships:

• Business Unit (BU) and across Japan/Global BUs
• Cross-functional team [Design, Development @Headquaters]
• External partners
• internal/external business partners for testing

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Lateral thinking and challenge status quo
• Communication skill set, including effective negotiation and clear transportation of information
• Step up to conflicts, work towards a diplomatic solution
• Be open for change, support execution of change management
• Cooperate effectively to maintain and develop trustful relationships
• Work independently as well as part of a team
• In-depth knowledge of respective product category
• Advanced technical footwear creation knowledge
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects, strategic planning and execution
• Experience working in a cross-functional/diverse environment
• Step up to conflicts and work towards a diplomatic solution
• Ability to travel
• Advanced in English / Fluent in Japanese
• Advanced/Intermediate MS Office Skill

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• University (Bachelor) degree in the field of Business ideally in Sales and/or Marketing or equivalent professional experience
• Minimum of 6 years Product Marketing and/or Development with Footwear background
• Experience in trade or sales is helpful