Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

Develop, drive and deliver the strategic business plan for the Football and Teamwear business for Emerging Market Central (EMC) Cluster. Define long-term and short-term objectives to sustainably grow profitability and market share. Deliver a locally relevant seasonal Go-to-market plan by planning product range, pricing strategy, distribution to maximize growth ambitions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and drive strategy and execution for adidas Football and Teamwear.
• Develop and deliver GTM seasonal plans by selecting relevant product, defining distribution and prices, exclusive offer to Key Accounts.
• Drive strategic alignments with Channels and Key Accounts to define priorities and opportunities to maximize the business.
• Drive a compelling range/concept selection for the cluster, inclusive of seasonal inputs and requirements from channel teams, balancing both brand and commercial considerations, and supporting the overall business strategy.
• Lead the collaboration with the wholesale key account teams to create the option plans and channel ranges per channel/segment tier for Alliance Partner Accounts.
• Hold Sell-in sessions with Key Accounts to present the seasonal priorities and drive growth together with Sales counterparts.
• Coordinate and lead a complete GTM product proposition (by category) aligning with BA/Omni team on Marketing plan, communication tools, activation tools, sports marketing support etc and support the sell-in process to focus accounts

• Deliver Financial expectations across channels and countries, track the category performance and create action plan to drive the category growth in collaboration with Channels.
• Ensure product availability in collaboration with Supply Chain Team, develop an action plan to mitigate risks.
• Create a seasonal / phasing framework aligned with consumer consumption peaks and category launch requirements.
• Assess and drive teamwear business with collaboration with B2B department to ensure additional business opportunities.
• Develop and drive local articles creation process from ideation to production.
• Partner with Brand Communications and Digital Activations teams to develop Brand Calendar and Campaigns to maximize brand and commercial impact.
• Build and maintain a strong relationship with cross-functional teams and with interlinked departments to enable an efficient Go to Market process.
• Main KPI’s: Category Share of Business, Category Growth, Net sales, Go-in-Margin, Sell-through, Range efficiency, Product availability, Execution excellence

Key Relationships:

• Business Unit (BU) ;
• Concept to Consumer (CTC);
• Channels: Direct to Consumer (DTC): Own Retail and Ecommerce, Wholesale (WHS) and Key Accounts, Franchise Partners;
• Supply Chain;
• Demand Planning;
• Brand Communications;
• Omni channel and VM;
• Digital Activation;
• Marketing Operations (MOPS).

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Experience:

• Previous experience in Category Management or Merchandising/ Sales;
• Assortment planning, product distribution;
• Pricing methods, pricing strategy and tactics;
• Knowledge of the market and competitors of the Football category;
• Knowledge of assortment, classification, characteristics and purpose of goods sold by adidas;
• Strong business acumen, ability to assume a broader perspective (cross-markets/ global);
• Advanced skills in MS Office;
• Fluent in English.

Project Management

• Strong Project Management Skills;
• Structured, organized and result orientated;

• High influencing skills and ability to make fact based decisions;
• Strong analytical skills;
• Highly collaborative with strong communication skills;
• Ability to work effectively within a team environment and under pressure.

Leadership

• Role model behaviors to secure a high-performance culture through communication and collaboration;
• Drive employee engagement, leading by example;
• Initiate and develop relationships throughout the company and in the broader community;
• Balance collaboration and independence to drive efficiency;
• People management skills (direct reports and/or project experience);
• Drive newness and improvements in processes and business;
• Strategic and innovative mindset;
• Entrepreneurial approach to business: balance of commercial value and brand heat;
• Strong presentation/communication, negotiation and influencing skills.

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• University degree in business preferred, ideally with marketing and sales focus or equivalent professional experience;
• +5 years’ experience in Category Management/ Ranging/ Merchandising Experience or account marketing / sales;
• Strong passion in Football with understanding of the Football scene locally, regionally & globally and how the scene affects business decisions. In-depth knowledge of Football products.