Manager Athlete Servicing, adidas, Herzogenaurach, Germany

[Stefan Hoerzer]

MANAGER ATHLETE SERVICING (M/F/D)


Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

• Responsible within Athlete Servicing in the defined area (i.e. Rugby)
• 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.
• Support customized product creation workstream in factories in Germany and Far East to create custom made footwear and apparel for all contracted players according to their individual needs.
• 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.
• Build and maintain an authentic relationship to both internal and external partners in order to develop data-driven processes for product creation.

Key Responsibilities:

People:

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

Service:

• Plan and manage athlete data analysis activities at the HQ in close cooperation with other AS managers and other functions involved.
• 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).
• Establish data-based relationship to adidas athletes and their environment (management, medical staff, coaches, physiotherapists).
• Prepare concept and results-based reports and presentations, communicating to technical and non-technical audiences.

Product:

• Ability to specify the needs and requirements of the athlete for product customization (performance, fit & comfort, accessorizing and rehabilitation) for m2m factory / Sample Shops.
• Gain general product feedback on competitors’ activities and explore new areas of mechanical engineering that can drive innovation and fuel creativity.
• Stay connected to relevant current and upcoming research, technologies, methods, and industry trends. Build an effective information network.

Process:

• Steer the integration of Athlete Servicing data analytics into inline creation process for the area of each project.
• Plan upcoming seasons and tools to drive projects aligned with Future Engineering and external partners.
• Carry out mechanical engineering including simulation, computer-aided design, mechanical testing and data analysis, transferring the results into more precise, faster and automated processes.
• Develop tools and software to evaluate gained feedback on our products during pro-athlete testing.
• 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 and make use of available data to allow for data driven decisions.
• Document and evaluate gained knowledge, act as a resource to provide validated feedback on our products during the relevant sample stages.
• Assist production process in Scheinfeld (made2measure), the Sample Shops and Far East providing information required for data based decision making.
• Store, structure and analyse athletes’ data and feedback.
• Plan and manage the operational business including the maintenance and analysis of athletes’ data and feedback.

Key Relationships:

• Collaborate and communicate with internal parties (AS manager, data scientists, Future Engineering, IT virtualization & Innovation) and external parties to positively contribute to the enhancement of adidas products for contracted athletes.
• Work with all category symbols and contracted athletes data.

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
• 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
• First experience in people management
• Experience in project management
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Outlook, Word, Powerpoint – advanced
• Microsoft Excel – advanced
• Language: English – excellent
• Manage Business (project & processes)
• Provide a framework for performance
• Result orientation
• Relationship management
• Influencing others
• Ability to work individually, with a high degree of flexibility and collaborative mindset

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• Min 3-5 years of relevant job experience
• College degree or equivalent: Sport or engineering science (e.g. mechanical engineering, leather and shoe engineering, sports engineer) or Medical degree (e.g. Sports medicine specialist, Pedorthist)
• Equivalent apprenticeship (e.g. orthopedic shoemaker, orthopaedic shoe technician)

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE APPLY HERE !


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Stefan Hoerzer, PhD
Director Athlete Servicing