Senior Category Director - Customs Brokerage

Adidas

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

Drive the development and execution of category best practices for Customs Brokerage within Transport & Logistics on a global basis, including:

• Define, deploy and execute the sourcing strategy in close collaboration with Supply Chain Management and regional, market and local Procurement teams.
• Partner with key stakeholders to optimize total cost of ownership and maximize Procurement’s value contribution.
• Ensure compliance with Procurement policies, strategies and processes, while delivering agreed Procurement and budget targets.
• Drive supplier portfolio management to strengthen performance, competitiveness and sustainable value.

Key Responsibilities

• Define the global strategy for the Customs Brokerage sub-category within Transport & Logistics.

• Analyze the sub-category, including spend, business requirements, risks, supplier landscape and Supplier Relationship Management strategy, applying critical thinking & problem solving to support strategic decisions.

• Benchmark market and Procurement best practices to identify opportunities for improvement, innovation and best practice sharing across markets and functions.

• Develop and execute strategic sourcing plans aligned with business and Supply Chain Management priorities, financial targets and global strategies.

• Define P2P and buying channel strategies, identifying opportunities for automation, simplification and improved channel effectiveness.

• Develop and deploy sub-category methodologies and tools, applying a simplicity & newness mindset to improve ways of working.

• Lead the implementation of the Transport & Logistics sourcing strategy to support business needs and savings delivery.

• Lead internal and external market, industry and supplier analysis to identify sourcing opportunities and enable informed decision-making.

• Consolidate requirements and act as a trusted business partner for business and Transport & Logistics teams.

• Lead sourcing initiatives, including RfX processes, supplier selection, fact-based negotiations, contracting and implementation.

• Drive contract implementation and compliance globally, adapting to different market requirements and changing business needs.

• Be accountable for delivering agreed savings and value targets for the sub-category.

• Govern and support cross-functional sourcing teams throughout strategic sourcing projects.

• Align roles and responsibilities across sourcing projects and collaborate with global, market and country Procurement teams.

• Lead and govern RfX execution, supplier selection and negotiations in close collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders.

• Partner with Legal to finalize contractual agreements and support effective contract administration.

• Partner with Finance to ensure consistent savings methodology, tracking and reporting.

• Work with Procurement and business teams to implement and activate contracts globally, demonstrating partnering & collaboration across functions and markets.

• Manage commercial relationships with key suppliers in alignment with Supply Chain Management teams.

• Manage relationships with key strategic suppliers and monitor performance against agreed targets and standards.

• Lead supplier development activities and cross-functional business reviews to improve performance, cost, service and efficiency.

• Identify contract improvement opportunities and lead or support commercial renegotiations where appropriate.

• Manage relationships with key stakeholders and business representatives.

• Act as an escalation point for sub-category related issues and drive resolution in line with global Procurement policies.

• Build stakeholder alignment and support for major Procurement initiatives, ensuring business needs are reflected in category strategies and sourcing decisions.

• Identify and communicate opportunities to contribute to budget improvements and broader business value.

• Act as a key Procurement point of contact for the business, demonstrating adaptability & agility in responding to changing requirements and priorities.

• Drive best practice sharing across Supply Chain Management markets, the Global Procurement community and other key business functions.

• Identify process improvement and simplification opportunities with a focus on cost reduction, efficiency and value creation.

Key Relationships:

• Procurement: Senior Category Director, Senior Category Managers, Market Procurement Directors and Country Senior Procurement Managers.
• Supply Chain Management: Directors, Senior Managers and Managers at global, regional and market level.
• Other key business functions, including Finance, Legal, Risk Management, Compliance, Insurance, GFF and GBS.
• Suppliers, including Key Account Leads and senior representatives.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Advanced knowledge of strategic sourcing, Procurement methodologies, business partnering and category management, ideally within Transport & Logistics.
• Strong understanding of transportation, logistics and Supply Chain Management, with Customs Brokerage knowledge considered an advantage.
• Good knowledge of Procurement strategy development and execution, with the ability to apply critical thinking & problem solving to complex business and sourcing challenges.
• Strong knowledge of relevant markets, suppliers, Procurement tools, data and automation opportunities, with a simplicity & newness mindset to identify more efficient and innovative solutions.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to analyze business requirements, specifications, spend and supplier data to influence demand and support decision-making.
• Ability to independently navigate the organization and demonstrate strong partnering & collaboration across global, regional and market teams.
• Experience in project and process management, combined with adaptability & agility to effectively manage changing priorities and business requirements.
• Strong communication, presentation, interpersonal, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Proactive and solution-oriented team player with a high degree of self-management.
• Proficiency in MS Office. Knowledge of SAP MM and SRM is preferred.
• Fluent in English, both written and spoken.
• Willingness to travel up to 20%.

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Business, Economics, Finance, Procurement or a related field, or comparable professional education.

• Minimum 5 to 8 years of relevant professional experience in Procurement, Logistics, Supply Chain or a related field, including experience in supplier selection, negotiation and contracting.

• Experience in Procurement or Sales within a leading Logistics Service Provider, FMCG organization or comparable international environment is preferred.

• At adidas, we strongly believe that embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into our culture and talent processes gives our employees a sense of belonging and our brand a real competitive advantage.

• – Culture Starts With People, It Starts With You –

• By recruiting talent and developing our people to reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities, we foster a culture of inclusion that engages our employees and authentically connects our brand with our consumers.