Senior Manager Category Management – Originals EM South needed at adidas Group

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organisation:

• The purpose of the Category Management team is to develop product ranges by category to best meet the needs of the local consumers, profitably.

For this role specifically:

• Deliver a globally aligned and locally relevant product range for EMS, focused on delivering the company sales growth aspirations per sales channel 
• Sustainably grow profitability and market share for the Originals category
• Manage the seasonal go-to-market (GTM) process for Originals to build the optimal product offering, considering the local consumer and channel requirements.
• Be the product expert and provide the relevant support for all Marketing Brand Activation plans

Key Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the CTC Director to develop and define the Originals product strategy (including lifecycle management) for the local market
• Work with direct reports to deliver a compelling range/concept selection for EMS by balancing local consumer, global brand and commercial considerations and supporting the overall business strategy of the channels.
• Lead GTM process to engage channels and customers and collaboratively build the strongest viable product mix.
• Deliver net sales and profitability (GIM) by managing pricing, margin, and the product mix.
• Ownership of product demand forecasting which most accurately reflects the customer and consumer demand in the market.
• Seasonal analysis of marketplace to understand trends, competitor product assortments and pricing.
• Proactively drive cluster range enhancements (including product development) that meet local needs and reflect differentiation in marketplace where required. Work closely with the Originals Hub team and Local Sourcing to deliver these.
• Own the range architecture for the cluster considering range guidance, brand focus and local pricing requirements.
• Monitor and maintain the accuracy of product data available to the business via the pricing matrix.
• Conduct monthly analysis of sell-through performance, sell out, of the relevant categories and make adjustments to the range where necessary.
• Support seasonal Brand Activations by aligning with BA/Omni team on Marketing plans; communication tools; activation tools; and by providing sports marketing support to ensure our partners get access to the best of adidas.
• Lead, coach and develop direct reports

Key Relationships:

• Director CTC & Mops EM South
• EMS Cluster Category Management Team.
• Cluster Demand Planning team
• EMS commercial channel Teams (DTC, Ecom, WHS)
• EM BU’s

KPIs:

• Net Sales and GIM%
• Range efficiency targets; range size and efficiency (incl. overlap)
• Market Sales vs Plan

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Marketing, merchandising, category management/planning, assortment planning and/or retail experience, with a distinct track record of success
• Exposure to other disciplines preferable, e.g. brand communication, retail or sales experience
• Strong presentation/communications and influencing skills
• Strong numerical / analytical skills
• Intermediate to advanced skills in MS Office – Excel and PowerPoint key
• Structured, organized and process orientated
• Ability to work effectively within a team environment under pressure  
• Industry: Preferably in retail/apparel/ FMCG
• Exposure: Retail / FMCG / Fashion

Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• University degree (Marketing/Business) and/or a minimum of 7+ years equivalent professional experience
• People Leadership experience for a minimum of 3 years
• Fluent in English