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Director Development Footwear/Apparel
Adidas Group
Portland, OR, United States
Job Details - this job has expired, please see similar jobs below
Purpose
Manage and direct the Development team clearly understanding its capability, project workload and interaction with the Marketing division, Design and other departments as necessary. Elevate the overall expertise of the group by providing direction for development with clear short term and long-term objectives and in accordance with adidas vision.
Key Responsibilities
• Ensure the Development team is fully partnered up with their counterparts in Marketing and Design through efficient product teams to establish project lists, critical milestone evaluations, appropriate resourcing and dedicated focus to the needs of the business division.
• Via constant interaction with Sourcing’s Management, understand and address the major development and commercialization issues that arise in each country.
• Enhance the working relationship between Marketing, Design and Development by establishing a respectful and efficient rapport with the respective team members in each department
• Work to customize product creation processes and activities to service the specific needs of the Marketing division most efficiently.
• Provide direction and discipline necessary to support an organized, effective and focused organization.
• Establish a ”working” product execution and evaluation process resulting in timely, accurate and conclusive direction from project inception through commercialization.
• Create the standard specifications for new products (through complete and detailed technical packages) and ensure the ability to meet this standard throughout the department.
• Ensure product is cost engineered to meet target FOB’s while maintaining integrity in quality and performance.
• Drive the initial stage of the product allocation for each season of development through alignment with the companies sourcing strategy and close cooperation with Asia management.
• Guide the Development group and team up with the partner function of footwear quality to redefine areas of interaction and shared activities for quality enhancements to adidas products.
• Cooperate with Planning and Forecasting to balance the criteria for product confirmation with the need for product availability to the customer (CPR’s)
Key Relationships
• Marketing
• Design
• Sourcing Management
• Quality
• Planning/Forecasting
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
• Computer literacy (Microsoft Office / e-mail management)
• Presentation skills
• Fluent English; German an advantage
• 10 years minimum work experience in the athletic footwear industry, specializing in product development, design and/or marketing. Proven record of leadership and accomplishment
Qualifications
1. Undergraduate university degree preferred
2. Technical training in footwear engineering and product development preferred; background in other phases of the footwear business (Marketing, Operations, other) may be an acceptable substitute for technical training
3. Extensive Management Experience