Senior Specialist Category Management- Training and Specialist Sport - EM South 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 consumer, profitably. 

For this role specifically:

• Deliver a globally aligned and locally relevant product range for EM South (EMS) which delivers the company sales growth aspirations per sales channel .
• Sustainably grow profitability and market share for the category.
• Be the product expert and provide the relevant support for all functions locally. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Work closely with the Manager Category Management- Running to develop and define the Training + Specialist Sport product strategy (including lifecycle management) for the local market. This includes the localized product strategy for all events/partnerships. 
• 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 + events/partnerships. 
• Support GTM process to engage channels, customers and events/partners in order to 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 Hub team 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 required systems
• 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.

Key Relationships:

• EMS Category Management + MOPS team.
• Cluster Demand Planning team
• EMS commercial channel teams (DTC, Ecom, WHS)
• EM BU’s
• Global SpoMa/Events

KPIs: 

• Net Sales and GIM%
• Range efficiency targets; range size and efficiency 
• Market Share 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: 

• Merchandising, category management/planning, assortment planning crucial
• Product development experience beneficial 
• Commercial experience crucial 
• Deep understanding of the Sport + Lifestyle market in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Strong presentation/communication and influencing skills
• Strong numerical / analytical skills 
• Intermediate to advanced skills in MS Office – Excel and PowerPoint 
• Structured, organized and process orientated 
• Ability to work effectively within a team environment under pressure 
• Industry: Preferably in sport/lifestyle/fashion retail or brand 
• Exposure: Commercial Channels (DTC/ Ecom/ WHS) + Partnership Management 

Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications: 

• University degree (Fashion/ Consumer Science/ Marketing)
• +5 years experience in category management/range building
• Fluent in English