Join adidas Europe and shape the future! For over 75 years, our European heritage has been a fusion of culture and innovation, driving global sports trends.
Our offices, from Herzogenaurach to London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Warsaw, Athens, Milan, Manchester and Paris, are centers of creativity and collaboration. We aim to be Europe's best sports brand, seeking pioneers and visionaries to join our bold journey.
At adidas, you're not just getting a job; you're invited to make a global impact, joining a team that values creativity, courage and innovation.
Are you ready to be part of our journey?
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:
Purpose is to execute fully localized GTM processes across all seasonal milestones, Assortment Recommendations for local WHS
The Zone GTM teams will work with the European Business Units to drive and steer the respective category from the brand and commercial point of view. They will be the experts for the category in the marketplace, from an adidas perspective, as well as having the complete perspective of the competitive landscape. The GTM teams will have ownership for holistic category plans in close collaboration with Activation and Sales.
What You'Ll Do:
Contribute and input to the creation of Zone GTM plan for the respective category in alignment with line manager.
Be the Category expert in the specific Zone, with a strong knowledge based on trends, competition, distribution, marketplace, and specially market share (Circana) providing the strongest inputs to EU and Global to improve the range and cover the specific Zone needs.
Download and prepare EU \& Global BU material of respective category during the Milestones
Provide input on forecasting topics such as quantitative or qualitative data, segmentation, allocation etc.
Maintain regular analytics on the sell-in and sell-through performance of respective category to ensure sustainable growth of the category.
Ensure operational excellence in the specific Zone for all GTM relevant topics
Explore and drive business opportunities together with local sales teams
Key contact to local sales teams on range specific topics \& concepts
Key contact to Brand activation teams on the Category GTM process and topics
Act as Zone “Lead”- expert and input into EU business opportunities for the Category
Manages sample order process in alignment with EU and following MOPS targets
If applicable, support local allocation split process if not defined by EU by channel, accounts, and doors
Support local Brand teams when needed creating and presenting specific promo ranges and product offers in alignment with EU BU (Ie. Spoma, Key City, EIM…)
Provide input into SMU of local key accounts and WHS, while driving the process with the European/Global teams
Tailor and prepare local sell-in tools to ensure consistency across EU and support the sales team.
Drive strong category presentations across the different milestones, with special focus on SMM presentation.
Partner/Liase with the rest of Category GTM Teams across the zones, especially in South Europe, to
LEADERSHIP
Leads and develops high performance team
Support and secure a high-performance culture through communication of clear expectations and individual target setting
Ensure excellent leadership and coaching to direct reports
SKILLS YOU'LL NEED
:
Pro- active (engaging \& impact-oriented) mindset, ability to think end-to-end
Good interpersonal skills and ability to influence both internal and external stakeholders
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with different international cultures
Business mindset: Very good numerical and analytical skills
Good experience to manage projects on cross-functional level
Good communication (both written and verbal) and facilitation skills (small and large groups) especially when interacting with different levels of business
Ability to travel, domestic or international, as required
Manager with advanced cross functional marketing knowledge and market experience ideally in the specific category.
Consumer-focused with deep product and range understanding with an excellent understanding of balancing brand and commercial aspects to build channel specific GTM solutions.
Strong organizational skills
Passionate about sports, preferably BU specific with knowledge of the category
Team player, very collaborative and able to work with virtual / remote teams
MAIN REQUIREMENTS:
University degree in business, ideally with marketing and sales focus or equivalent professional experience
5-8 years of Merchandising Experience, cross-functional marketing and/or sales experience
Ideally minimum 2 years of managerial experience
Fluent in English (writing and verbal)
IT skills: Outlook and Word: Basic; Excel and PowerPoint: advanced
LIFE AT ADIDAS:
Annual bonus
Meal Voucher
Gym and Sports opportunities
Free access to self-learning platform
Employee Assistance Program (personal counselling)
Hybrid working model
The role will be based in our new Italian HQ in Milan!
AT ADIDAS WE HAVE A WINNING CULTURE. BUT TO WIN, PHYSICAL POWER IS NOT ENOUGH. JUST LIKE ATHLETES OUR EMPLOYEES NEED MENTAL STRENGTH IN THEIR GAME. WE FOSTER THE ATHLETE’S MINDSET THROUGH A SET OF BEHAVIORS THAT WE WANT TO ENABLE AND DEVELOP IN OUR PEOPLE AND THAT ARE AT THE CORE OF OUR UNIQUE COMPANY CULTURE: THIS IS HOW WE WIN WHILE PLAYING FAIR.
COURAGE: Speak up when you see an opportunity; step up when you see a need..
OWNERSHIP: Pick up the ball. Be proactive, take responsibility and follow-through.
INNOVATION: Elevate to win. Be curious, test and learn new and better ways of doing things.
TEAMPLAY: Win together. Work collaboratively and cultivate a shared mindset.
INTEGRITY: Play by the rules. Hold yourself and others accountable to our company’s standards.
RESPECT: Value all players. Display empathy, be inclusive and show dignity to all.
AT ADIDAS, WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT EMBEDDING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI) INTO OUR CULTURE AND TALENT PROCESSES GIVES OUR EMPLOYEES A SENSE OF BELONGING AND OUR BRAND A REAL COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE.
– CULTURE STARTS WITH PEOPLE, IT STARTS WITH YOU –
BY RECRUITING TALENT AND DEVELOPING OUR PEOPLE TO REFLECT THE RICH DIVERSITY OF OUR CONSUMERS AND COMMUNITIES, WE FOSTER A CULTURE OF INCLUSION THAT ENGAGES OUR EMPLOYEES AND AUTHENTICALLY CONNECTS OUR BRAND WITH OUR CONSUMERS.
JOB TITLE:
Senior Category Manager Sport
BRAND:
LOCATION:
Monza
TEAM:
Merchandising \& Planning
STATE:
COUNTRY/REGION:
IT
CONTRACT TYPE:
Full time
NUMBER:
535599
DATE:
Oct 3, 2025