Senior Manager Cross Border Employment (m/f/d)

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:

The Senior Manager, Global Cross-Border Employment (CBE) plays a key role in enabling and advancing adidas’ global CBE strategy by leading defined policy, product, and program areas within the overall CBE portfolio.

Reporting to the Senior Director – CBE, this role drives the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of global CBE policies, programs, and tools—ensuring they are compliant, scalable, and aligned with business and talent needs. As a global subject-matter expert, the role translates strategic direction into practical frameworks, guidance, and solutions that can be applied consistently across markets.

Through strong collaboration with HR, Rewards, GBS, Corporate Functions, and external partners, the role enables compliant cross-border employment solutions, improves employee experience, and strengthens capability across the HR community—enhancing the strategic impact of the CBE function globally.

Key Responsibilities:

• Program & policy delivery: Lead the delivery and continuous improvement of CBE programs and policies, aligned to adidas business and people strategy, market practice, and a strong employee experience.
• Benchmarking & insights: Manage global CBE benchmarking (costs, benefits, practices, trends) and translate findings into clear recommendations for policy/product updates.
• Data-driven governance: Define requirements and contribute to dashboards, reporting, and KPI tracking to enable transparency and insight-led decision-making.
• Policy governance support: Prepare materials and drive stakeholder alignment for policy reviews, approvals, and governance forums.
• Compliance & risk management: Partner with Corporate Tax, Legal, Finance, GBS, and external advisors to assess and manage risks across tax, social security, immigration, employment law, and shadow payroll.
• Case escalation support: Provide SME guidance and structured recommendations for complex or non-standard CBE cases to support decision-making.
• Audit readiness: Maintain documentation and reporting, and coordinate inputs with internal and external stakeholders to support audit preparedness.
• Vendor management: Manage day-to-day vendor relationships for CBE compliance delivery; support service reviews, performance monitoring, and issue resolution in collaboration with Procurement and the Senior Director.
• Tools & technology enablement: Support continuous improvement of CBE technologies and tools in close partnership with HR Tech, GBS, and external providers.
• IHP/IPP governance: Lead operational and governance workstreams for the International Health Plan (IHP) and International Pension Plan (IPP), ensuring alignment to global CBE policy and consistent market application.
• Annual processes: Coordinate recurring annual CBE processes (e.g., reviews, updates, data refreshes), managing timelines, dependencies, and stakeholder engagement.
• Enablement & communications: Design and deliver communications, change management, and upskilling initiatives for HR/Rewards communities; maintain CBE toolkits and guidance (e.g., SharePoint content).
• Global Projects: Drive global CBE projects or defined workstreams, coordinating cross-functional stakeholders and delivering outcomes against scope, timelines, and objectives.
• Consultancy: Contribute CBE expertise to broader Rewards or HR transformation initiatives as required.

Key Relationships:

• Market HR community
• Market Rewards
• GBS
• Corporate Tax
• Group Legal
• Group Travel Management
• Group Insurance

Corporate Procurement

• Finance & Controlling
• External suppliers

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Strong strategic and analytical capability with an end-to-end process mindset

• Deep understanding of global mobility and cross-border employment frameworks
• Ability to translate complex regulatory topics into practical business solutions
• Excellent stakeholder management, consulting, and communication skills
• Strong change management and storytelling capability
• Ability to lead global projects in complex, matrixed environments
• High level of cultural awareness and international mindset
• Proactive, resilient, and comfortable operating in ambiguity

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• University degree or equivalent experience
• Advanced degree or professional certification (e.g., MBA, CEBS, CCP) is an advantage
• 7–10+ years of experience in Human Resources, with strong specialization in International Mobility / Cross‑Border Employment (ideally covering international tax, social security, immigration, and employment law)
• Experience working in a global, matrixed organization
• Experience leading global projects and initiatives