Assistant Manager Athlete Servicing, adidas, Herzogenaurach, Germany

[Stefan Hoerzer]

ASSISTANT MANAGER ATHLETE SERVICING (M/F/D)


Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

• Assist Senior Manager Athlete Servicing in the area of sports categories serviced by Athlete Servicing team
• Helps to build and maintain an authentic relationship to adidas athletes in order to gather honest and relevant product feedback from athletes and their professional and medical environment
• Supports customized product creation work stream in factories in Germany and Far East to create custom made footwear and apparel for contracted athletes according to their individual needs
• Helps to ensure the latest product on field according to roll-out plans to push category sales
• Pro-Athlete testing: Ensure that professional athletes’ product testing and validated feedback is an implemented part of the adidas inline product creation process in order to constantly improve adidas products

Key Responsibilities:

People:

• Proactively contribute to establish a cross category learning within the Athlete Servicing team

Service:

• Assists to plan and manage athlete visits/ brand induction activities at the HQ in close cooperation with Sports Marketing and other functions involved.
• Travel to meet athletes, Equipment Managers, Trainers, and Team Doctors periodically. Open communication with all involved adidas entities is required.
• Experiencing and develop the ability to steer dialogue to develop smart solutions. Discuss any product related issues the athlete/coaches/medical staff may be
• Support adidas athletes prior to major sports events (i.e., Olympic Games, World Championships) and ensure they have the best possible product to perform.
• Collaborate closely with Sports Marketing to conceptualize and install a support function during major sports events for the respective category (i.e., Athlete Servicing Event unit, Quick reaction setup factory, training camp and grass roots visits)
• Helps to establish relationship to adidas athletes and their environment (management, medical staff, coaches, physiotherapists)

Product:

• Develop ability to specify the needs and requirements of the athlete for product customization (performance, fit & comfort, accessorizing and rehabilitation) for m2m factory / Sample Shops.
• Supports to educate athletes on adidas products to improve their quality of feedback and create an understanding for adidas technologies
• Gain general product feedback on competitor activities

Process:

• Supports the Integration of Athlete Servicing into Inline Creation Process for the area of responsibility (Briefing Input, Planning, Design Review, Milestone products, Testing, Athlete Servicing customizations, launch support)
• Help to manage and plan upcoming seasons and new product rollouts with all involved entities (Sports Marketing, BU, Factories)
• Work with footwear and apparel to develop and test all respective inline products with elite athletes in close cooperation with inline testing and the BU
• Document and evaluate gained knowledge, act as a resource to provide validated feedback on our products during the relevant sample stages.
• Assist production process SLD, the Sample Shops and Far East providing information required for planning and forecasting
• Help to plan and manage the operational business including the maintenance of athletes’ data and feedback

Key Relationships:

• Work with all category symbols and contracted athletes
• Collaborate and communicate with external parties (contracted athletes, athlete management, coaches, medical staff) to positively influence the perception of adidas products in the respective category
• Sports Marketing / BU / made2measure production (e.g. SLD, Asia, SEF) and apparel sample shop / Development / Testing / Innovation / LPM (License Product Manager)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge/Abilities:

• Product creation knowledge (e.g., Materials, Components, Modifications, Technologies, Assembly)
• Passion for sports in general and in depth knowledge of the responsible categories
• Sport specific knowledge in athletic training
• Knowledge in anatomy and biomechanics (e.g., functional assessment and profiling; sport-specific movements, wear pattern and injuries; treatment specification)

Skills:

• Excellent communication skill required
• Experience in project management
• Strong problem-solving skills
• IT
• Outlook, Word, PowerPoint – advanced
• Microsoft Excel – advanced
• Language: English – excellent
• Manage Business (Project & Processes)
• Provide a framework for Performance
• Result orientation
• Influencing others
• Relationship management
• Ability to work individually, with a high degree of flexibility

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

Education:

• Min 0-2 years of relevant job experience
• College degree or equivalent: Sports Medicine, Orthopedic/Biomedical Engineering, Physiotherapy, Sports Science, Biomechanics, Sports Engineering, Data Analytics in Sport, or similar studies.
• Equivalent apprenticeship (e.g., orthopedic shoemaker, orthopedic shoe technician)

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE APPLY HERE !


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Stefan Hoerzer, PhD
Director Athlete Services Football