Manager Inbound Planning (Temp 12 months)

Partners with adidas Supply Chain functions and Distribution Centres (DCs) to create On-Time Availability and enable On-Time, In-Full delivery to Wholesale and Direct-to-Consumer channels, managing and optimising the flow of goods from ports across Europe to the European Distribution Centre network. It also acts as Business Process Manager (BPM) for Inbound Planning capabilities within Europe SCM, driving business process management, governance and continuous improvement across the end-to-end inbound transportation and planning landscape. The position owns process design, process standards, business requirements, system adoption and process performance, ensuring alignment between business operations and adidas' inbound and S/4 transformation roadmap.

• Lead, coach, develop and inspire a team of specialists, setting clear objectives and priorities while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Drive employee engagement, talent development, succession planning and capability building, ensuring the team possesses the planning, analytical and process management capabilities needed to support business objectives.
• Secure cross-functional collaboration with key stakeholders — including Europe SCM functions, DC operations and leadership teams, global logistics and transportation management, inbound and network planning, technology and advanced analytics, finance and performance management
• Omnichannel operations and external logistics service providers — to proactively manage supply and inbound transportation challenges.
• Develop and maintain reporting tools and performance dashboards to support operational decision-making and achievement of business targets.
• Represent Inbound Planning in cross-functional projects, network initiatives and strategic SCM programmes, including the S/4 transformation.
• Own and continuously improve key inbound planning and transportation planning processes across Europe SCM.
• Define, document, standardise and govern business processes, operating procedures and planning standards to ensure consistency across teams and stakeholders.
• Establish process performance management routines, including KPI monitoring, root-cause analysis and corrective action tracking.
• Identify opportunities for process simplification, automation and digitalisation through collaboration with Technology, Analytics and SCM Excellence teams, and facilitate continuous improvement initiatives using structured problem-solving methodologies and operational excellence principles.
• Act as the subject matter expert for inbound planning processes, support change management activities, drive process compliance with defined governance frameworks, operating models and service level agreements
• And translate strategic business requirements into scalable process solutions that improve service, efficiency and cost performance.

• University degree or equivalent qualification, preferably in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Logistics or Operations Management.
• Minimum 5 years of experience within Supply Chain Management, Transportation, Logistics or Operations.
• Demonstrated experience leading process improvement, transformation or operational excellence initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of supply chain processes and the end-to-end flow of goods from source to customer.
• Proven business process management and process improvement capabilities.
• Strong operational planning and project management skills.
• Ability to establish process governance, standards and performance management frameworks.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills with strong reporting and data interpretation capabilities.
• Ability to identify process inefficiencies and drive sustainable solutions.
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional leadership capabilities.
• Ability to lead, coach and motivate teams in a dynamic and changing environment.
• Effective communication and influencing skills across all organisational levels.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Cost-conscious mindset combined with customer and service orientation.
• Strong knowledge of ERP systems, planning systems and reporting tools.

• Experience with SAP ERP systems.

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