Assistant Manager Sports Marketing - BU Sportswear & Training (m/f/d)

at  Adidas

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:
The Sports & Culture Marketing area owns the responsibility for building the most impactful and effective portfolio of relationships in the Training & Sportswear industry, and across the ‘sports culture’ landscape. The team is dedicated to ensuring our contractual partnerships and industry relationships inspire consumers, embody our messages and beliefs, all in support of our never-ending objective to be the Best Sports Brand in the World…
Acting strategically, the Partnerships team is tasked with identifying and nurturing consumer-relevant relationships across the training industry and sport-culture landscapes. Within the team, the Assistant Manager role is critical to providing the support and foundation necessary to enable the entire team to function at the highest levels. Supporting many of the key areas of portfolio management, this role acts as both a product specialist and as a driver of key projects and processes… all while engaging with various teams, functions and leaders within the BU and broader brand.
In the end, by engaging with global colleagues across Marketing, Product, and Design as well as various levels of our business, from Regions-to-Markets-to-Sales, this role helps shape and support a portfolio of category partnerships that personify our brand, innovate our products and truly represent the Greatest Sports Brand in the World.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support the execution of the Global Sportswear & Training Partner strategy, facilitating adoption and implementation of strategy globally, as well as within the markets.
• Represent the adidas Brand in conversation, attendance or interactions across the training and sport cultural landscape, both internally and externally
• Manage the collection of product insights (ex. testing results and product feedback) from our partners in close cooperation with Product Marketing, Development and Design as well as the Product Creation
• Facilitate the coordination and execution of the BU product strategy across category and brand partnerships in collaboration with the various BU product teams.
• Coordinate, Communicate and Drive the Product servicing component of portfolio management in close cooperation with Portfolio managers, monitoring timelines and supporting selection, forecasting, ordering, delivery, etc. for all relevant product drops for our broad portfolio of partners across both Training and Sportwear.
• Track and Input partner content creation and adidas rights usage across the portfolio.
• Support the broader Sportswear & Training Partnerships team as a versatile project owner.
• Facilitate the onboarding, induction, and on-going engagement of our partners to build brand ambassadors rather than just product endorsers.
• Develop functional awareness and industry insights, by partnering with team managers to prepare the quarterly competitor analysis and industry research presentation to be shared with team and Category SLT.
• Raise your voice often, ruthlessly innovate everywhere, be inclusive to everyone, never settle and don’t be afraid to make the bold choice.

Key Relationships:

• Broader Sportswear & Training - Sport & Culture Marketing Team
• BU Sportswear & Training (Var. Functions and Teams)
• Brand Partnerships Functional Area
• Cultural Marketing Teams & Managers
• Digital & Memberships
• Vertical Category Sports Marketing Teams & Managers
• Regional & Market Marketing Teams
• Industry Contacts (Agencies, Individuals, Brands, Facilities)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Affinity for innovative and stylish product
• Creative Thinker, Analytical Data-minded & Problem Solver
• Excellent understanding of ‘Service-Provider Approach’ to relationship management
• Ability to see the long-term opportunity, through the short-term objectives.
• Strong attention to detail, results focused.
• Avid Communicator: Vital to keeping colleagues, community informed and engaged.
• Strong networking and interpersonal skills
• Strong project management and planning skills
• Self-initiator, capable of determining priorities.
• Highly stress-resistant; ability to handle tight deadlines, and abrasive personalities.
• English required; other key market-area languages would be advantageous.
• Proficiency with SAP, EXCEL, and POWERPOINT programs.

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• University degree or ‘University of Life’ experience
• Applied Passion and/or knowledge of the Training category/ sports industry.
• Hungry, positive, agile, inclusive, and able to think differently.

• Support the execution of the Global Sportswear & Training Partner strategy, facilitating adoption and implementation of strategy globally, as well as within the markets.
• Represent the adidas Brand in conversation, attendance or interactions across the training and sport cultural landscape, both internally and externally
• Manage the collection of product insights (ex. testing results and product feedback) from our partners in close cooperation with Product Marketing, Development and Design as well as the Product Creation
• Facilitate the coordination and execution of the BU product strategy across category and brand partnerships in collaboration with the various BU product teams.
• Coordinate, Communicate and Drive the Product servicing component of portfolio management in close cooperation with Portfolio managers, monitoring timelines and supporting selection, forecasting, ordering, delivery, etc. for all relevant product drops for our broad portfolio of partners across both Training and Sportwear.
• Track and Input partner content creation and adidas rights usage across the portfolio.
• Support the broader Sportswear & Training Partnerships team as a versatile project owner.
• Facilitate the onboarding, induction, and on-going engagement of our partners to build brand ambassadors rather than just product endorsers.
• Develop functional awareness and industry insights, by partnering with team managers to prepare the quarterly competitor analysis and industry research presentation to be shared with team and Category SLT.
• Raise your voice often, ruthlessly innovate everywhere, be inclusive to everyone, never settle and don’t be afraid to make the bold choice