Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization
At adidas, Originals is where sport meets modern culture. As Category Manager, Originals Footwear for Southeast Asia, you will lead category planning and franchise execution for one of adidas’ most iconic and culturally influential portfolios.
This role is responsible for translating SEA Originals direction into strong assortments, clear franchise priorities, and consumer-led commercial opportunities, balancing brand heat, franchise depth, and commercial productivity across Southeast Asia’s diverse markets and channels.
Key Responsibilities
Originals Footwear Category Strategy
- Own and drive the SEA Originals Footwear category strategy, aligned with Global & EM priorities and regional consumer and culture insights.
- Translate franchise direction into clear regional objectives, seasonal focus, and range intent.
- Define category and range KPIs within the Lifestyle Category framework.
- Influence cross‑functional stakeholders with clear narratives and data‑backed insights.
- Identify whitespace opportunities, range gaps, and growth initiatives within Sportswear.
- Support category pricing ladders, depth logic, and portfolio decisions through data-led recommendations.
Franchise & Range Architecture
- Lead franchise planning and lifecycle management across key franchises, balancing brand heat, commercial productivity, and long-term franchise equity.
- Deliver category priorities and portfolio recommendations across Global and SEA GTM milestones, ensuring strong seasonal readiness.
- Shape portfolio architecture through clear depth logic, franchise roles, and strategic category focus.
- Drive cluster category pricing recommendations, supporting competitive positioning and strong commercial returns.
- Monitor and steer Go-In-Margin performance, ensuring healthy profitability across the category portfolio.
Marketplace & Commercial Execution
- Monitor category trends, franchise performance, and competitive landscape to shape strategic category direction and priorities.
- Translate consumer, market, and competitive insights into actionable category recommendations and growth opportunities. Balance regional scale with local market relevance, reflecting cultural nuance and maturity differences across SEA.
- Support post-season reviews with clear portfolio recommendations for future cycles.
Culture, Consumer & Trend Insight
- Champion a culture‑led, consumer‑centric mindset, grounded in insights from youth culture, fashion, streetwear, and creators across SEA.
- Monitor competitive landscape, trend shifts, and lifestyle footwear dynamics.
- Ensure Originals footwear assortments feel authentic, relevant, and desirable in each market while maintaining global consistency.
- Collaborate with Brand teams to align product strategy with storytelling and activation.
Cross‑Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with Brand, GTM, MOPS, Commercial, Demand Planning, and Finance teams.
- Act as a key connector between EM Originals Category teams and SEA markets, translating strategy and feedback both ways.
- Contribute to seasonal milestones, line reviews, decision gates, and post‑season evaluations.
- Support Brand and Marketing with franchise focus, product stories, and category narratives.
Stakeholder Management & Leadership
- Build strong cross-functional partnerships across SEA and Emerging Markets teams.
- Influence with clarity through data-backed recommendations and category expertise.
- Support capability building with markets through frameworks, guidance, and best practices.
- Role model adidas values collaboration and consumer-first thinking
Key Relationships
- Internal: EM Originals Category Teams, SEA Market Leadership, Brand, Product, GTM, MOPS, Commercial, Demand Planning, Finance
- External (as relevant): Key wholesale and retail partners
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
Professional Experience
- 5–8 years of experience in Category Management, Merchandising, or Commercial roles, ideally within footwear, lifestyle, or fashion‑driven brands.
- Experience working in regional or multi‑market environments, preferably Southeast Asia.
- Strong understanding of lifestyle footwear retail dynamics across DTC and wholesale.
Functional Skills
- Expertise in assortment planning, franchise management, and range architecture.
- Strong commercial judgment and analytical capability.
- Experience working within seasonal GTM milestones.
- Ability to synthesize data, trends, and culture into clear category direction.
Leadership & Behaviors
- Culture‑curious, consumer‑obsessed, and trend‑aware.
- Structured thinker with a strong execution mindset.
- Strong communicator and influencer across functions.
- Collaborative, adaptable, and comfortable with ambiguity.
