Senior Manager Category Management: Sport + Partnerships - EM South at adidas Group

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organisation:

• Strategic guidance and input on Team Sport (Football, Motorsport, Basketball, Golf)  to drive market share gains and deliver absolute sport credibility across all countries in EM South
• Strategic guidance and input on Sport Partnerships + Properties to maximize the commercial and brand opportunity for adidas and the partner

Key Responsibilities:

• Define the partnership product strategy for all Team Sport partners
• Guide the full partnership product process which includes range building, range selection, range extension and local badging
• Manage external and internal stakeholders to ensure all product development deadlines are met
• Develop and implement the Team Sport category product strategy for EMS to deliver market leadership across all key categories
• Work closely with direct reports to deliver a compelling range/concept selection for EMS by balancing local consumer; global brand; and commercial considerations
• Deliver net sales and profitability (GIM) by managing pricing, margin, and the product mix across all key markets
• Lead the seasonal analysis of the full 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.  
• 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 Category Management Team.
• Cluster Demand Planning team
• EMS commercial channel Teams (DTC, Ecom, WHS)
• EM + Global BU’s

KPIs: 

• Net Sales and GIM%
• Product development milestones met
• Partner Product KPI’s
• Range efficiency targets; range size and efficiency (incl. overlap)
• Market Share

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Merchandising, category management/planning, assortment planning and/or retail experience, with a distinct track record of success within the Sport Industry
• Knowledge of Sport industry within South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria (experience in Football beneficial)
• Product development for sport teams essential
• Experience managing partners essential
• Exposure to other disciplines preferable, e.g. sports marketing, 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
• Exposure: Sport

Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• University degree (Marketing/Business/Merchandising)
• A minimum of 10+ years equivalent professional experience
• Experience working within a Global Sport Brand (Football preferred)
• People Leadership experience for a minimum of 5 years
• Fluent in English