Manager, Demand Planning

Purpose and Relevance for the organization:

Leads and coordinates the demand planning process for assigned channel(s), ensuring accurate, timely, and strategically aligned demand plan inputs. This role is a key partner to the Senior Manager, acting as a right hand in facilitating cross-functional meetings, driving process improvements, managing timelines, and solving operational challenges. In addition to providing guidance, validation, and reporting, the Manager mentors junior team members, oversees channel‑specific projects, and ensures alignment between commercial, financial, and operational targets.

• Partner with Category Demand Planning to validate and guide demand plan inputs for assigned channel(s).
• Support volume-to-value translation and lead key commercial and financial discussions.
• Facilitate Demand & Supply (D&S) meetings and other planning touchpoints, ensuring alignment across stakeholders.
• Perform assumption checks to confirm timely, accurate, and logical category inputs that meet channel objectives.
• Ensure mass uploads and system updates are executed accurately and on schedule.
• Ensure the demand plan feeding the buy signal for assigned channel is flowing as expected. Help identify potential issues and troubleshoot problems.

• Act as the primary deputy to the Senior Manager, helping manage the channel calendar, timelines, and deliverables.
• Proactively identify and elevate risks, opportunities, and decision points to senior leadership.
• Support the facilitation of cross‑functional meetings, driving alignment between Merchandising, Finance, Channel Buying & Planning, Sales Planning, and Supply Chain.
• Represent the channel in cross‑team forums when the Senior Manager is unavailable.

• Lead channel‑specific projects from concept to completion, ensuring measurable business impact.
• Drive process changes that improve forecast accuracy, efficiency, and data quality.
• Champion adoption of best practices and global planning standards within the channel.

• Oversee creation, maintenance, and delivery of channel‑specific reporting.
• Consolidate and present channel performance, risks, and opportunities to senior stakeholders.
• Translate data into actionable recommendations for commercial, financial, and operational strategies.

• Mentor and provide guidance to junior team members, ensuring they understand processes, timelines, and best practices.
• Provide coaching and feedback to support skill development and career progression.
• Foster a collaborative, solutions‑oriented team culture.

• Demand plan accuracy for assigned channel(s).
• Achievement of channel sales, margin, and inventory targets.
• Timeliness and quality of demand plan submissions.
• On‑time delivery of channel projects and process improvements.
• Effectiveness of cross‑functional facilitation and decision‑making support.
• Engagement and development of junior team members.

• Category Demand Planning teams
• Merchandising
• Finance
• Sales Planning
• Supply Chain
• Channel Buying & Planning
• Senior Leadership

• Strong leadership and coaching skills; ability to mentor junior staff.
• Advanced project management capabilities, with proven ability to deliver process improvements.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to connect data to strategic actions.
• Excellent facilitation and meeting management skills.
• High‑impact communication and influencing skills to align diverse stakeholders.
• Proficiency in SAP (APO & AFS), advanced MS Excel, and MS Office Suite (PowerPoint, Access, Word).
• Fluent in English.
• At adidas we offer a Hybrid work policy which requires attendance in the office Monday through Thursday, with the flexibility to work remotely on Friday each week. For work requiring a high degree of collaboration or an in‑person presentation, in‑office attendance is required even on Friday.

• Minimum 5-7 years of operations experience within a large Footwear, Apparel, Sporting Goods, or Consumer Products…