Senior Specialist, Global Key Accounts (Apparel) (12-Month Contract)

adidas Group; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

adidas Group is seeking a Senior Specialist, Global Key Accounts (Apparel) for a 12-month contract in Sydney, Australia. You will help grow adidas apparel with JD Sports by applying commercial thinking, partnerships and consumer insight to lift sales, margin and market share.

Collaborating with JD Sports and adidas teams across Sales, Marketing, Category Management, Customer Service and Supply Chain, you will translate strategic account plans into practical actions, manage forecasts and lead

Qualifications

• University degree or equivalent in business-related field.
• 3+ years of experience in key account management or similar sales role.
• Experience building customer relationships and contributing to sales and margins.
• Experience in apparel, fashion, footwear, sport, or FMCG is preferred.
• Exposure to retail customers, seasonal product cycles and Go To Market processes.
• Experience supporting account plans, sales forecasts and performance reporting.
• Ability to use sales data to identify opportunities and actions.
• Experience collaborating with Sales, Marketing and Category teams.

Responsibilities

• Build a strong partnership with JD Sports and act as the main connection between the account and adidas teams.
• Deliver apparel sales and margin targets while supporting profitable account growth.
• Develop strategic account plans, operational business plans and customer performance plans.
• Lead seasonal sell-in and sell-out activity across the Go To Market cycle.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Category teams to align product launches and brand initiatives.
• Prepare monthly and annual sales forecasts and identify risks, opportunities, and actions.
• Monitor sales, sell-out, market share and competitor activity to identify growth opportunities.
• Maintain accurate order book and support cost-efficient product availability with Supply Chain.
• Support negotiation and management of trade terms, customer agreements and payment expectations.
• Track account performance against KPIs and provide reporting and insights.
• Represent JD Sports' needs internally while balancing adidas brand and profitability objectives.

Skills

Account management

Sales forecasting

Go To Market

Relationship management

Strategic planning

Negotiation

Data analysis

Education

Business degree

Job description

Senior Specialist, Global Key Accounts (Apparel) (12-Month Contract)

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organisation:

Help shape the growth of adidas apparel within JD Sports, one of our key global retail partners.

In this role, you'll combine commercial thinking, strong customer partnerships and consumer insight to grow sales, profitability and market share. Working closely with JD Sports and adidas teams across Sales, Marketing, Category Management, Customer Service and Supply Chain, you'll turn strategic account plans into clear actions.

From seasonal product launches and sales forecasting to sell-in, sell-out and demand-driving initiatives, you'll play an important role in bringing adidas products and brand stories to life across the JD Sports business.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build a strong, trusted partnership with JD Sports and act as the key connection between the account and adidas teams.
• Deliver agreed apparel sales and margin targets while supporting profitable, sustainable account growth.
• Develop strategic account plans, operational business plans and customer performance plans.
• Lead seasonal sell-in and sell-out activity across the Go To Market cycle.
• Work with Marketing and Category teams to align product launches, brand initiatives and customer plans.
• Prepare accurate monthly and annual sales forecasts, identifying risks, opportunities and recommended actions.
• Monitor sales, sell-out, market share and competitor activity to identify opportunities for growth.
• Maintain order book accuracy and work with Supply Chain and Customer Service to support reliable, cost-efficient product availability.
• Support the negotiation and management of trade terms, customer agreements and payment expectations.
• Track account performance against agreed KPIs and provide clear, timely reporting and commercial insights.
• Represent the needs of JD Sports internally while balancing adidas brand, sales and profitability objectives.

KPIs:

• Achievement of agreed apparel sales and margin targets for JD Sports.
• Growth in adidas apparel sell-out and market share across the assigned categories.
• Accuracy and timely delivery of monthly and annual sales forecasts.
• Completion of strategic account plans, operational business plans and agreed account milestones.
• Achievement of seasonal sell-in objectives and successful delivery of product launches and account marketing plans.
• Order book accuracy, delivery performance and timely management of supply risks.
• Customer compliance with agreed commercial and payment terms, including Days Sales Outstanding.
• Accurate and timely performance reporting, customer insights and competitor analysis.
• Completion of agreed actions to improve account performance and support sustainable growth.

Key Relationships:

• JD Sports
• Sales and Category Management teams
• Marketing and Account Marketing teams
• Customer Service teams
• Manager, Global Key Accounts
• Global and Regional Account teams
• Finance and Credit Control teams
• Supply Chain and Order Fulfilment teams

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Strong commercial understanding, with the ability to interpret sales, margin, sell-out and market share performance.
• Ability to identify commercial opportunities and risks and turn insights into practical account actions.
• Experience developing customer plans, sales forecasts and performance reporting.
• Ability to connect seasonal sell-in activity with consumer demand, sell-out performance and order book requirements.
• Strong relationship management skills, with the ability to build trusted customer and internal partnerships.
• Clear and confident communication skills, including the ability to present plans, performance and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Ability to work effectively across Sales, Marketing, Category Management, Customer Service and Supply Chain.
• Understanding of trade terms and customer agreements, with the ability to balance customer needs with sales and profitability objectives.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities across the Go To Market cycle.
• Comfortable working with sales data, account reporting and commercial planning tools.

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• University degree in Business, Marketing, Sales or a related discipline.
• More than three years of experience in key account management, field sales or a similar customer-focused commercial role.
• Experience building customer relationships and contributing to sales, margin and commercial performance targets.
• Industry experience within apparel, fashion, footwear, sport or fast-moving consumer goods is preferred.
• Exposure to retail customers, seasonal product cycles and Go To Market processes.
• Practical experience supporting account plans, sales forecasts and performance reporting.
• Confidence using sales and sell-out data to identify opportunities, track performance and recommend actions.
• Experience working across Sales, Marketing and Category teams to support customer plans, product launches and seasonal execution.