Adidas is an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from people of all ages, genders (incl. gender identity), ethnic and social backgrounds, nationalities, sexual orientations, religions and beliefs, and those with apparent or non-apparent disabilities*. We do not tolerate harassment or discrimination toward any of our applicants or employees.

*We actively encourage individuals with disabilities to apply and will provide reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process.

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

Deliver best in class service to an assigned account group, working in partnership with the Sales organization and key departments to achieve the company strategic business plan. Ensure a reliable and professional people management by means of disciplinary and functional leadership of the assigned team.

Responsibilities:

People management:

• Promote a high-performance culture by communicating and monitoring clear expectations
• Set up individual targets, encourage the employees to work independently in order to be able to fully meet the requirements in alignment with company strategy targets
• Fill vacant positions in the team in alignment with the Senior Manager, Director or Senior Director
• Assess performance and skills of team members as part of the performance evaluation
• Provide and offer regular feedback meetings for your Direct Reports
• Develop the tem’s functional and social competencies based on the company strategy
• Identify talents and support them on personal development possibilities
• Fulfil the duty of care for team members (e.g., working time, absence management) complying with the regulations for health and safety
• Ensure compliance with employee-related adidas guidelines, policies and legal requirements

• Act as first point of contact for Sales regarding the operational business and the roles and responsibilities

• Be an expert in all operational and commercial areas, ensuring excellent Customer Service is delivered at all times.

• Actively challenge working methods and practices. Propose and implement practical enhancements.

• Collaborate with our wholesale accounts and partners to create and align on a resilient organization based on the company strategy.

•   Design, continually optimize and document the Account Operations processes, taking into consideration the interests of the customers and the company
• Review customer requirements in collaboration with the Sales teams and work together to define the respective service level, considering the cost-benefit effects
• Represent the interests of the Account Operations functional area vis-à-vis the responsible persons of other internal and external functional areas by acting as the ‘Account Operations representative’
• Act as the Account Operations representative in system- and process-based IT and SCM projects; derive system and process adaptations and integrate these at local/global interfaces

• Own the order book management from order to invoice to ensure orderbook transparency and conversion following company guidelines.

• Validate special handling coordination for new requests and changes aligned with our commercial strategy.

• Ensure that returns and complaints are fulfilled by the team within defined service levels.

• Stand in for and support colleagues, Senior Manager or Senior Director working in other groups within Account Operations.

• Independently carry out projects and workshops in order to achieve the departmental targets

• In addition to the above, all of the tasks outlined in the job description for the Senior Specialist Account Operations are also part of the responsibilities of the Manager Account Operations

Authorities:

• Above-average working knowledge of MS Office, SAP, Salesforce and MicroStrategy
• Fluency in German and English (written and spoken)
• Business acumen
• Autonomous and independent working style with an entrepreneurial understanding
• Strong conflict management capabilities and very good communication skills
• Very high level of customer orientation, presentation and communication skills
• Process-oriented mindset and in-depth understanding of complex correlations
• Be a confident, positive and driven leader of the team, ensuring you contribute to a high-performance culture in the team and department.
• Experience in working under pressure to meet deadlines and conflicting priorities
• Ability of travel if required

Requisite Education and Experience/Minimum Qualifications:

• Successfully completed vocational training in the field of industry or logistics, along with further training or a bachelor’s degree
• 3+ years’ experience in providing customer support in the field of Customer Service, Sales or Supply Chain
• 2+ years’ experience in people management