Senior Specialist Category Management- Training and Specialist Sport - EM South

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organisation

• The purpose of the Category Management team is to develop product ranges by category to best meet the needs of the local consumer, profitably.

For this role specifically

• Deliver a globally aligned and locally relevant product range for EM South EMS which delivers the company sales growth aspirations per sales channel .
• Sustainably grow profitability and market share for the category.
• Be the product expert and provide the relevant support for all functions locally.

Key Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Manager Category Management- Running to develop and define the Training + Specialist Sport product strategy including lifecycle management for the local market. This includes the localized product strategy for all events/partnerships.
• Deliver a compelling range/concept selection for EMS by balancing local consumer, global brand and commercial considerations and supporting the overall business strategy of the channels + events/partnerships.
• Support GTM process to engage channels, customers and events/partners in order to collaboratively build the strongest viable product mix.
• Deliver net sales and profitability GIM by managing pricing, margin, and the product mix.
• Ownership of product demand forecasting which most accurately reflects the customer and consumer demand in the market.
• Seasonal analysis of marketplace to understand trends, competitor product assortments and pricing.
• Proactively drive cluster range enhancements including product development that meet local needs and reflect differentiation in marketplace where required. Work closely with the Hub team to deliver these.
• Own the range architecture for the cluster considering range guidance, brand focus and local pricing requirements.
• Monitor and maintain the accuracy of product data available to the business via the required systems
• Conduct monthly analysis of sell-through performance, sell out, of the relevant categories and make adjustments to the range where necessary.
• Support seasonal Brand Activations by aligning with BA/Omni team on Marketing plans; communication tools; activation tools; and by providing sports marketing support to ensure our partners get access to the best of adidas.

Key Relationships

• EMS Category Management + MOPS team.
• Cluster Demand Planning team
• EMS commercial channel teams DTC, Ecom, WHS
• EM BU's
• Global SpoMa/Events

KPIs

• Net Sales and GIM%
• Range efficiency targets; range size and efficiency
• Market Share

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Merchandising, category management/planning, assortment planning crucial
• Product development experience beneficial
• Commercial experience crucial
• Deep understanding of the Sport + Lifestyle market in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Strong presentation/communication and influencing skills
• Strong numerical / analytical skills
• Intermediate to advanced skills in MS Office – Excel and PowerPoint
• Structured, organized and process orientated
• Ability to work effectively within a team environment under pressure
• Industry: Preferably in sport/lifestyle/fashion retail or brand
• Exposure: Commercial Channels DTC/ Ecom/ WHS + Partnership Management

Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications

• University degree Fashion/ Consumer Science/ Marketing
• +5 years experience in category management/range building
• Fluent in English