Senior Manager, Product Creation Footwear 2 (Creation Center)

Is responsible for product development of Lifestyle footwear silhouettes, with a specific focus on the Japanese market. It leads topics related to technical product constructions, materials, process-oriented work, speed to market, driving efficiency, and delivering margin expectations. The role drives the process and is responsible for initiating and managing projects.

• Works closely with the adidas Japan team to ensure all Japan product briefs are executed and sample-making milestones are achieved in a fast-paced creation process, establishing better working practices to advance processes.
• Builds close working relationships with T1 factories and suppliers, generating new working practices to advance delivery against timelines.
• Manages and develops relations with the T2 supply base to support localisation, speed to market, meeting material pricing targets, and materials quality.
• Innovates across lifestyle footwear needs such as product constructions, comfort concepts, materials, product closures, seasonal executions, and solutions.
• Researches and formulates options to deliver improved price-to-value outcomes.
• Devises and drives the product process and leverages category sourcing strategy to deliver gross margin and profitability objectives.
• Nurtures, guides, and challenges cross-functional departments to ensure product excellence.
• Develops and improves processes with the goal of driving a leading product process with speed and efficiency, always innovating with speed and flexibility.

• College or university degree.
• Minimum 5 years related experience.
• Equivalent education and/or experience may be substituted for the degree.
• Experience in footwear development and sourcing is necessary.
• Extensive footwear product knowledge across a variety of lifestyle silhouettes, with experience in development and working knowledge of product marketing, costing, materials, and how to work best with T1 and T2 suppliers.
• Ability to work with and influence all levels of the organisation and align external partners (factories, suppliers) with company strategy.
• Comprehensive knowledge of shoe building from design sketch phase to ex-factory.
• Strong business acumen in channel distribution, net sales, margin, profit, and inventory (directional and commercially driven trade channel).
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced product creation environment.
• Knowledge of footwear concepts in construction/development is a necessity.
• Good numerical skills with the ability to negotiate.
• Seeks to redefine processes and find new and innovative angles to product creation with an emphasis on speed.
• Ability to effectively present to groups, including members of all organisational levels.
• Skill in MS Office applications (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
• Ability to travel internationally for consumer trend research and internal meetings and presentations.

• Experience in marketing is an advantage.
• Some knowledge of the Japanese sporting goods industry would be an advantage but not essential.

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