Manager, MI - Digital Asset Excellence

Purpose

• A key player in PD&S in driving to be the Most Agile, Most Competitive, Most Innovative & Sustainable Supply Base in the industry.
• Own practical implementation across assigned suppliers, projects or regional workstreams, translating agreed digital assets, workflow and system requirements into supplier actions and capability improvements.
• Apply 3D, AI, automation and emerging technologies to improve supplier-facing digital asset and product development workflows, delivering measurable operational outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Apply practical expertise in 3D digital creation, AI, automation and emerging asset-creation methods to translate agreed digital asset, product workflow and system requirements into supplier actions and implementation plans, consolidating operational feedback and escalating issues requiring broader decisions.
• Maintain & implement digital asset quality, data, metadata and interoperability standards with suppliers, ensuring consistent understanding, adoption and execution.
• Identify supplier-related operational, data, security, intellectual-property and governance concerns and engage the appropriate functional owners for resolution.
• Assess supplier capability, capacity, performance and readiness, partnering with Sourcing Operations to address gaps, resolve operational issues and improve supplier-facing product development and digital asset workflows.
• Lead supplier onboarding, coaching and enablement, developing reusable practices and self-service knowledge that enable suppliers to work more independently.
• Manage assigned initiatives and supplier pilots from requirements definition and proof of concept through testing, implementation and performance follow-up.
• Coordinate the integration and application of supplier digital creation tools, digital assets and product data across relevant systems, product development, manufacturing, quality and commercial workflows.
• Track supplier capability, project progress, adoption, operational performance and realised benefits, reporting implementation evidence, issues and improvement recommendations to the Senior Manager.
• Build and maintain effective relationships across suppliers, Sourcing Operations and Adidas internal end users, connecting asset requirements with supplier execution and ensuring timely feedback, issue resolution and implementation improvement
• Role model leadership to foster Diversity Equity & Inclusion culture that strives for an inclusive workplace.
• Ensure all sourcing operations and practices fully comply with adidas’ Responsible Sourcing & Purchasing Policy, adidas standards and legal requirements, while managing the relevant processes internally and externally.

Key Relationships

• Product Development & Sourcing
• Brands & Sales
• Sourcing Suppliers: Tier 1 & 2
• Other Global Functions Teams: TECH
• External Stakeholders: Soft-& hardware vendors, Agencies

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong practical expertise in 3D digital product creation and relevant platforms, including CLO, Rhino, Blender, Vizoo, Shima Seiki, Revobit or comparable solutions.
• Good understanding of end-to-end product development, pattern engineering, manufacturing and digital asset workflows across relevant product divisions.
• Demonstrated experience applying AI, automation or emerging technologies to improve digital asset creation or product development workflows.
• Good understanding of the evolving digital asset landscape, including 3D, photography, AI-generated and AI-enhanced imagery, and other fit-for-purpose assets.
• Experience assessing supplier capability, capacity, performance and readiness and implementing agreed onboarding, coaching and improvement actions.
• Strong process-improvement capability, with the ability to identify workflow issues and implement practical supplier-facing solutions.
• Ability to translate agreed digital asset, workflow and system requirements into practical supplier actions and implementation plans.
• Good working knowledge of digital creation tools, product data, metadata, interoperability and relevant systems, with the ability to coordinate practical supplier implementation.
• Experience managing assigned supplier-facing projects or workstreams from requirements definition through testing, implementation and performance follow-up.
• Ability to track adoption and operational performance, analyse implementation evidence and provide clear improvement recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Strong supplier coaching, problem-solving, communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• Fluent in written and spoken English, with the ability to work effectively across suppliers, functions, regions and time zones.

Requisite Education and Experience

• University degree or equivalent qualification in design, product development, engineering, manufacturing, digital technology, computer science, computer graphics or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in digital product creation, product development, manufacturing innovation, digital transformation or a related area.
• Demonstrated experience in supplier capability building, process improvement and the practical application of 3D, AI, automation or emerging technologies.
• Experience managing supplier-facing projects or cross-functional workstreams from requirements definition through testing, implementation and performance follow-up.
• Experience working with international suppliers or regional teams, including coaching colleagues, coordinating external partners or leading small project teams, is preferred.