Director Data Insights & AI EMC

Adidas; Dubai; On-site; AED 440,000 - 662,000; Full time

Job summary

A global sportswear company seeks an experienced leader to establish and drive the Centre of Excellence for AI Enablement and Commercial Analytics. This role is crucial in leveraging AI-powered tools and analytics to enhance decision-making across the business. Candidates should possess 10-15+ years of experience in analytics, excellent stakeholder engagement skills, and a strong governance mindset. This position offers an opportunity to work at the forefront of innovation in a dynamic, consumer-facing environment.

Qualifications

• 10-15+ years of experience across analytics, business intelligence, data, merchandising, or commercial strategy.
• Proven experience leading analytics, data, or AI-enablement initiatives.
• Ability to translate data into actionable insights.

Responsibilities

• Establish and drive the Centre of Excellence for AI Enablement.
• Define, implement, and govern AI tools within the business.
• Develop and lead AI/analytics training programs.

Skills

Commercial analytics

PowerBI

Data-driven decision making

Stakeholder engagement

Governance mindset

Innovation

Education

University degree in Business, Economics, Engineering, Computer Science

Job description

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

Establishes and leads the Centre of Excellence for AI Enablement & Commercial Analytics within Emerging Markets Central (EMC). The position ensures that the organization fully leverages AI-powered tools, commercial analytics, and data-driven decision making to maximize business impact.

It is responsible for governance, adoption, and upskilling in AI use across the business, while acting as the central reference point for Power BI dashboards, reporting, and insights translation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Establish and drive the Centre of Excellence for AI Enablement & Commercial Analytics in Emerging Markets Central.
• Define, implement, and govern the responsible use of AI tools within the business.
• Partner with channel leads, brand, finance, and business development to translate data into actionable commercial strategies.
• Own and evolve PowerBI dashboards and reporting tools to provide clarity, consistency, and actionable insights.
• Develop and lead AI/analytics training and upskilling programs for cross-functional teams.
• Provide senior leadership with insight-driven recommendations to maximize sales, profitability, and operational efficiency.
• Serve as the dotted-line governance point for reporting and analytics across channels, ensuring alignment and best practice sharing.
• Stay ahead of AI innovation trends and competitor use cases to maintain adidas' market leadership.
• Collaborate with Global & Market Tech to align local/regional business needs with technical capabilities.

Key Relationships:

• Country General Manager
• Emerging Market Central Senior Leadership Team (EMC SLT)
• Emerging Market SLT
• Global & local IT Team
• External vendors
• Brand Team
• Commercial team
• Supply Chain Team
• Finance Team

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong expertise in commercial analytics, PowerBI, and dashboard governance.
• In-depth understanding of AI applications in business and ability to convert data into actionable insights.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive cross-functional alignment.
• Strong governance mindset with ability to set frameworks and processes across markets.
• Passion for innovation, data-driven decision making, and business transformation.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• 10-15+ years of experience across analytics, business intelligence, data, merchandising, or commercial strategy, ideally within a regional or global consumer-facing organisation.
• Proven experience leading analytics, data, or AI-enablement initiatives in a complex, matrixed environment.
• Strong ability to translate data, analytics, and AI capabilities into clear commercial impact and better decision-making.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with senior leadership teams, influencing direction, and driving adoption of new tools and ways of working.
• Experience managing and developing teams across markets, with the ability to balance central strategy and local execution.
• Solid understanding of modern analytics and data ecosystems (e.g. BI platforms, data products, automation, AI use cases), with a strong business‑first mindset.
• University degree in Business, Economics, Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent professional experience.
• Sports industry experience & passion for sports as added advantage