Senior Specialist Category Management

The adidas Group strives to inspire and enable people to harness the power of sport in their lives. Sport is our very purpose. Inspired by our heritage, we know that a profound understanding of the consumer and their journey in sport is essential to achieving this goal. To anticipate and respond to their needs, we continuously strive to create a culture of innovation and creativity. Through our portfolio of authentic sports brands, we harness this culture and push the boundaries of products, services and processes to drive brand desire. Through sport, we have the power to change lives. The adidas Group is a global leader in the sporting goods industry, offering a broad portfolio of footwear, apparel and hardware for sport and lifestyle around the core brands adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade and CCM Hockey. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group employs more than 55,000 people across the globe and generated sales of around € 17 billion in 2015. Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organisation: The purpose of the Category Management team is to develop locally relevant 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, focusing on delivering the company sales growth aspirations per sales channel Sustainably grow profitability and market share for each category Support the seasonal go-to-market (GTM) process to build the optimal product offering, considering the unique local consumer and channel requirements. Be the product expert and provide the relevant support for all Marketing GTM plans Key Responsibilities: 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 that meet local needs and reflect differentiation in marketplace where required. Work closely with the HUB BU's and local-souring apparel team to deliver these. Drive 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 providing sports marketing support to ensure our partners get access to the best of adidas. Key Relationships: Manager Category Management EM South (line manager) Director Category Management & 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: 3-5 years experience in a Merchandising role (buying/range building), Sports/Lifestyle brand/retail preferable Experience working in a complex matrix organization Elite user of MS Office software; advanced MS Excel skills critical Strong presentation/communications and influencing skills Strong analytical skills and attention to detail. Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications: University degree and/or a minimum of 5+ years equivalent professional experience Fluent in English