Senior Manager, Team Sports

Adidas; Manger; On-site; NOK 709,000 - 913,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global athletic brand is seeking a professional to drive end-to-end sourcing operations within the Team Sports category. You will manage relationships with suppliers, ensure operational performance, and lead initiatives to enhance sourcing strategies. Candidates should possess a strong understanding of the sportswear industry, excellent analytical skills, and a minimum of 7 years of experience, including managerial roles. This opportunity offers a significant impact on the company's sourcing operations and a collaborative work environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7+ years of experience, ideally including 5 years in product creation/manufacturing and in managerial positions.

Responsibilities

• Drive end-to-end execution of operations across the assigned Team Sports supply base.
• Own operational performance of assigned supply partner factories.
• Identify operational issues before they impact performance and drive mitigation efforts.
• Supervise development and commercialization of assigned Team Sports products.
• Ensure adequate capacity and production planning.
• Drive material management activities within the assigned supply base.
• Implement Team Sports Sourcing strategy within the assigned supply base.
• Represent Team Sports Sourcing operations internally and externally.

Skills

Strong understanding of the sportswear industry

Strong analytical skills

Proactive and agile problem-solving skills

Excellent people, influencing, and communication skills

Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Business Intelligence tools

Fluent in English (written and spoken)

Project management skills

Strong leadership skills

Education

University degree in production management, engineering, product creation, or related areas

Job description

PURPOSE

• A key player in Global Sourcing, driving the vision to be the Most Agile, Most Competitive, Most Digitalized & Cleanest Supply Base in the industry
• Lead end-to-end Team Sports Sourcing Operations within the designated region and across relevant Operation Centers/Team Sports factories, managing relationships between adidas and supply partners to ensure adidas objectives are met

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Drive end-to-end execution of operations (from creation to shipment) across the assigned Team Sports supply base/region
• Own operational performance of assigned supply partner factories, including related KPIs, and maintain strong relationships with factory operations heads and internal functional leads to ensure quick issue resolution
• Proactively identify operational issues before they impact performance, drive mitigation efforts with relevant stakeholders, and ensure timely implementation and communication
• Supervise development and commercialization of assigned Team Sports products in collaboration with Creation Center teams, factory personnel, and technical teams to ensure effective transition of design into samples and production (including standards/timeline adherence, manufacturability, material selection, and cost)
• Ensure adequate capacity and production planning, including seasonal/monthly capacity booking, timely planning system updates, and effective implementation of related policies and guidelines in collaboration with LO Planning
• Drive material management activities within the assigned supply base, including seasonal greige/material/trim booking, timely replenishment, inventory monitoring, material outage reporting, and liability management
• Implement Team Sports Sourcing strategy within the assigned supply base, including capability build-up and onboarding of new supply partners/facilities, and provide operational input to strategy and allocation processes
• Represent Team Sports Sourcing operations internally and externally, fostering strategic partnerships and relationships with customers
• Identify operational process issues at regional/local level, drive best practice development, coordinate deployment activities to improve operational excellence, and facilitate best practice exchange with other regions and stakeholders
• Drive other company key initiatives within and beyond Team Sports Sourcing as assigned by Line Manager and/or Functional Leader, ensuring resources are balanced across Team Sports and Inline business so company priorities are met
• Ensure all sourcing operations and practices comply with adidas’ Responsible Sourcing & Purchasing Policy, adidas standards, and legal requirements, while managing relevant processes internally and externally
• Role model leadership to foster a culture of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, invest in people development and training, provide ongoing coaching to team members, and actively drive engagement

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

• Global Sourcing: Allocation & Planning, Sourcing Operations, Materials, Costing, Quality, Manufacturing Excellence
• Headquarters: Global Team Services, Global Brand/Business Unit teams, Design
• Global Operations: Global Product Supply, Product Operations, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Customs
• External: Tier 1 supplier teams (Team Sports Operations, Business Planning, General Management)
• Other Global Functional Teams: Social and Environmental Affairs, Government Affairs

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Strong understanding of the sportswear industry and experience in end-to-end manufacturing processes (development, materials, production, planning, quality, costing, etc.)
• Strong analytical skills and a passion for leveraging data to derive insights and drive impact
• Proactive and agile problem-solving skills
• Excellent people, influencing, and communication skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Business Intelligence tools
• Fluent in English (written and spoken)
• Project management skills are an advantage
• Ability to see the big picture and connect the dots for end-to-end processes
• Strong leadership skills and ability to work with multidimensional teams

REQUISITE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE / MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• University degree in production management, engineering, product creation, or related areas
• Minimum 7+ years of experience, ideally including 5 years in product creation/manufacturing and in managerial positions