Product Manager

Product Manager - Basketball Footwear

You're passionate about being the best. You've got a need to win. And you're always at the top of your game. You're like Dwight Howard - a strategist who plays with heart and soul, a superstar who's also a team player. As our Product Manager - Basketball Footwear, you'll be expected to bring your own MVP performance to the tasks below. Purpose : Establish business strategy to achieve net sales, net margin, and SKU productivity for assigned category. Establish long-term goals and strategy for assigned category to ensure global brand vision and corporate objects are met for the US market. Key Accountabilities : Analyze the sport, consumer, customer and market progression to ensure constant improvements/evaluation of the product category Participate in consumer focus groups to acquire greater consumer insight for future sell-in / sell-through Analyze the category and market to assist in developing the marketing/product strategy of the category Manage the product process from clear briefs to range launch. Build a market/retailer network for consistent product feedback in key channels Travel to selected key accounts/channels to gather info and inspiration Collaborate with Design, Development, Go-To-Market team and Accounts to ensure optimal range and products Follow up on how the products and Category is tracking towards objectives Relationship management with third party licensees Manage all computer related tasks (including applicable systems/applications) Interact with Testing to both benchmark and fit and wear test range Help define and prepare communication tools for the Category Assists to prepare communication concepts for the category Create forecasts (monthly to annual) to support supply chain solutions / end-to-end business models to obtain greater profit and cash flow, by channel, by key accounts. Assist in creating the annual strategic business plan/road map presented to licensees and the assigned business units Nurture, guide and challenge cross functional departments to ensure product excellence in the market place (design, fabrics, prices, fits, etc) Assist in creating ideal merchandising plans, by color roll-outs, launch dates, by channels, by accounts, showcased through retail floor plans. Assists in creating activation plans to drive authentic stories with Sports marketing and Brand marketing. Assists in creating forecasts (monthly to annual) Manage the process with effective communication and action steps in order to achieve margin, profitability and SKU efficiency Knowledge Skills and Abilities : Ability to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams Strong business acumen in channel distribution, net sales, margin, profit and inventory Strong presentation and communication skills, written and verbal Strong process and organization skills Proficiency with MS Office Suite and working with systems/applications Knowledge of footwear concepts in construction and fabrication strongly preferred Category specific understanding preferred Prior knowledge of product creation or different stages of the product lifecycle preferred Ability to think merchandising across channels and accounts while in the creation phase Ability to work within a team environment Ability to travel (domestic and international) Qualifications : Bachelor's degree from four-year college or university in Marketing/Business or related field preferred; and Minimum three (3) years sports or other product marketing or related experience; or Combination of education and/or experience may be substituted for degree Previous creation experience in the sporting goods industry preferred adidas founder, Adi Dassler, was inspired by a single idea when he made his first shoes, at the age of just 20: to provide every athlete with the best footwear for his or her respective discipline. And 85 years later, we have almost 16,000 employees worldwide who put this same passion and commitment to innovation into each concept, component, process and product we produce. Our mission is to be the leading sports brand in the world. At adidas we understand it takes a village to accomplish this mission. adidas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, citizenship, creed, age, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, mental or physical disability, or any other protected status unrelated to the performance of the work involved. You may have heard us say "Impossible is Nothing" or "Celebrate Originality"; to us, these phrases are more than just words. If you share this same passion then apply today! ~cb~