Purpose:  

• In line with strategic costing direction, optimize product costing for adidas Footwear products while maintaining overall governance of costing.
• Maximize Go-In-Margin opportunity using analytics, footwear costing expertise in efficiency, Labour & Overhead (LOH), and through negotiation leverage with suppliers.
• Provide relevant analytics & trends to support future supplier allocation decision-making
• Drive and use reporting and analytics to enhance costing knowledge and performance.

Key Responsibilities:

 Strategy and Negotiation:

• Costing direction:  Contribute to defining global footwear Costing direction and strategy.
• Cost mitigation: Work closely with SEA, Finance and the Costing organization. Actively contribute to the maximization of Go-In-Margin through cost mitigation and negotiation with suppliers related to efficiency, Labour and Overhead (LOH) fluctuations, and through analytical studies allowing the set up and optimization of costing standards.
• Knowledge repository:Build and maintain a comprehensive understanding of LOH cost drivers, LOH cost management throughout the costing process, and an end-to-end knowledge of mark ups/fluctuations from FOB to retail. Uplift knowledge of costing organization via insights on LOH cost developments and available analytical reporting. Share insights and impactful information with the Costing organization to sustain high awareness and performance.

• Strategic negotiation: Identify and build relevant ‘negotiation tactics’ for each supplier Group based on thorough analysis and business/allocation understanding. Prepare & document negotiations. Support specific analysis which may facilitate negotiation with suppliers. Lead/support strategic negotiation rounds with suppliers.
• Supplier allocation strategy: Support Footwear leadership in future strategic country & factory allocation decision-making through thorough analysis of costing rates and forecasted trends. Together with POPS Sourcing Footwear Operations team and LOs, jointly drive/negotiate and maintain contractual agreements with suppliers (e.g: MOU) to ensure appropriate capacity planning.

Reporting & analytics:

• KPI gatekeeper: Track and properly communicate all relevant costing KPI targets, achievements information and milestone reporting (e.g: FOB tracking, tooling amortization tracking, strategic & seasonal cost forecast). Drive and manage Labor and Overhead rates calculation on a seasonal basis at each costing milestone. Ensure consistent savings tracking and communication.
• Governance: Ensure that the LOH approach defined by the Costing organization is understood and consistently applied throughout the costing organization. Ensure all legal costing obligations and ethical agreements are fulfilled.
• Analytical support for projects: Take part in identifying costing project portfolio and support costing Management Center in analytical work related to initiatives coordinated across LOs (e.g: standardization) . Support analytical work for specific global profitability initiatives and global projects aiming at delivering optimal savings/mitigation opportunity.
• Trends:  Stay up to date on related industry and company business trends and drivers to support proactive adjustment to the dynamic cost environment. Provide costing leadership with insights on cost driver developments and supplier competitiveness using systematic costing and benchmarking methods.

• System infrastructure support: Work closely with the Processes & Projects team in properly identifying, evaluating and implementing relevant systems, and appropriate system enhancements in order to improve the monitoring of costing performance and analytical work.
• Processes & Policies support: Work closely with the Processes & Projects team in continually identifying, evaluating and implementing relevant processes & policies that improve costing performance.

Team management:

• Develop/coach and lead the Strategic Costing & Analytics team and ensure the best standards of performance. Ensure appropriate skill sets and strong succession plans are in place.

Key Relationships: 

• POPS Costing (Management Center, BU lead, LO Costing, Global BU Costing)
• SEA (Social and Environmental Affairs) / Government Affairs
• Finance
• POPS Sourcing Footwear Operations, Planning, Development, ME (Manufacturing Excellence), Material
• Footwear suppliers

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

• Strong analytical and negotiation skills
• Solid influencing and communication skills
• Very thorough computer literacy
• Management experience and skills
• Fluency in English
• Able to adapt to audience, to work cross functionally, across regions
• Knowledge of athletic footwear industry, specialising in product costing and product development would be an advantage

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications: 

• Undergraduate university degree and 10 years+ of relevant business experience
• Finance and/or consulting background
• Knowledge of footwear would be an advantage.