Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

The key function of this role is to ensure that commercial and business relationships with suppliers are managed according to policies, commercial terms, risks, and procurement best practices for the Canadian market. This role will lead or support the development and facilitation of procurement category strategies, ensuring visibility and transparency of spend. Additionally, it will implement global, regional, or local procurement strategies, projects, processes, and systems within the adidas NAM organization.

In addition to market responsibilities this person will support demand management, contract management, maximizing the profitability, negotiated pricing adherence and compliance. Developing and facilitating procurement functional strategies, procurement auditing of supplier work, all while ensuring visibility and transparency of spend.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide country level non-trade procurement support for Canadian initiatives as well as support NAM (Canada and US) objectives including but not limited to the following responsibilities.
• Create, support and manage the development and execution of non-trade procurement categories related strategies in alignment with senior management and relevant Business Partners and their Brand objectives.
• Drive, lead and support supplier selection (tender) processes in alignment with business partners and negotiate contracts up to final authorization including dispute resolution, approving and qualifying vendors, financial terms etc.
• Build business relationships and effectively partner with the relevant stakeholders and the related supplier base within adidas + external supply base.
• Delivery of market analysis/research and industry/customer engagement to ensure robust business cases and sourcing plans for the adidas.
• Review, administer + advise on best practices in contract management, compliance, and risk management to ensure maximum value delivery to adidas for goods and services rendered. Bring innovative solutions and best practices to contract management, as well as demand management and contract terms, conditions and pricing.
• Drive and support the creation and implementation of sourcing and supplier strategies and ensure compliance with procurement policies, standards and guidelines.
• Lead and participate in cross-functional teams in defined procurement and general development projects as well as pro-actively supporting other team members in their tasks and activities. Act as a PMO within different NTP layers (local, regional, global, GBS).
• Generate operational overhead efficiencies, pricing reconciliation processes, and budgetary scrutiny on spend patterns/behaviors for reporting, and improvement opportunities with adidas budget.
• Continuous learning and development of procurement knowledge and methodologies driving innovation and continuous improvement within the procurement function.
• Act as an ambassador of procurement within the organization.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Support the development and deployment of demand management, price agreement adherence, process. improvement, + supplier compliance, as well as supplier pricing compliance, monitoring + reconciliation processes with non-trade rostered suppliers in collaboration with key stakeholders.
• Review, administer + advise on best practices in contract management, compliance, and risk management to ensure maximum value delivery to adidas for goods and services rendered. Bring innovative solutions and best practices to contract management, as well as demand management and contract terms, conditions and pricing.

Key Relationships:

• Canadian stakeholders in finance, legal, marketing, retail, Professional Services, supply chain, IT, and other priority non-trade procurement areas of focus.
• Regional (NAM) and Global (HQ, EMEA, APAC, LAM, Etc,) Counterparts in finance, legal, marketing, retail, supply chain, IT, and other priority non-trade procurement areas of focus. as well as global counterparts + GBS (Global Business Services).
• Suppliers: work with key adidas suppliers on communication, negotiation, contract adherence, statement of work, scope of work adherence, reconciliation, return on investment or advertisement spend and continuous joint process improvement opportunities.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of sourcing and procurement methodologies and concepts, such as TCO and life cycle of products/services, business partnering.
• Knowledge of supply base within the non-trade procurement categories of focus and availability of products/services, bottleneck criteria (market and pricing), cost levers, new technologies and procedural best practices.
• Knowledge of business strategy including the support of the execution through the procurement lens.
• Proven ability to drive category strategy and setup supplier selection and management. Proven ability to drive cost adherence, reconciliation, negotiation, and contract observance.
• Ability to support and execution and implementation of sourcing and category strategies in order to face market trends.
• Knowledge and experience in stakeholders and supplier relationship management, Employment Contracts, Work-Labor Contracts, Claim Management, Liability, Warranty and (inter)national procurement related legislation.
• Excellent analytical, presentation, communication, interpersonal and influencing skills.
• Action oriented and solution minded team player with high degree of self-management.
• Capability to independently interact throughout the organization.
• Project management knowledge and experience.
• Proficiency in MS Office, SAP/SRM a plus.
• Fluent in English, spoken and written.
• International, diverse mindset.

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree with emphasis on the areas of business, economics, finance, procurement or legal, or comparable professional education.
• 5 years of general business experience, preferably in Procurement area.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in procurement activities directly related to the Canadian or North American market.