Senior Wholesale Design & Project Manager

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.

Organizational Context:

The Wholesale Design & Development team, within Global Store Design at adidas, defines and evolves physical brand experiences across the global Wholesale landscape. The team develops design concepts, technical standards, and scalable solutions that elevate adidas within partner environments and create consistent, high-impact consumer experiences across diverse retail formats.

In close partnership with Sales, Brand Marketing, Development, Engineering, and Key Account teams, the team translates brand and commercial priorities into future-facing design strategies, fixture systems, and environment concepts that strengthen brand presence and enable efficient market execution.

The team owns the global design principles, technical standards, engineering specifications, and execution guidelines that ensure consistency, scalability, and operational excellence across Wholesale formats.

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

This role leads the development of industry-leading Wholesale environments, design standards, fixture systems, and technical solutions. It requires strong conceptual design thinking, technical understanding, and development expertise to translate strategic intent into innovative, executable, and commercially effective retail solutions that deliver premium consumer experiences and support global business objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

Global Wholesale Design & Development Strategy

• Lead the development and continuous evolution of the adidas Global Wholesale Design & Development framework, ensuring clear alignment with brand strategy, commercial priorities, and consumer expectations.
• Drive the improvement of Wholesale environments, fixture systems, shop-in-shop concepts, and branded spaces across the global portfolio.
• Establish scalable design and engineering standards that support efficient implementation across diverse customer, market, and format requirements.
• Ensure a consistent, high-quality adidas brand experience across all Wholesale consumer touchpoints.

Design Innovation & Concept Development

• Lead the creation and refinement of Wholesale concepts, fixture solutions, and branded environments that strengthen adidas’ presence within partner stores.
• Translate consumer insights, market trends, and business needs into future-ready design solutions.
• Develop modular and adaptable systems that can scale across account formats, market conditions, and levels of investment.
• Drive innovation across physical, digital, and omnichannel Wholesale experiences.

Design Engineering & Technical Development

• Integrate design and engineering principles throughout the development process to ensure concepts are executable, durable, scalable, and commercially viable.
• Develop technical solutions that balance design intent, manufacturing feasibility, cost efficiency, and operational requirements.
• Partner closely with Engineering teams to ensure concepts are technically robust and ready for implementation.
• Create clear and considered design packages that enable efficient development, engineering, sourcing, and production.

Technical Specifications & Documentation

• Develop comprehensive technical design documentation, specifications, standards, and implementation guidelines.
• Define fixture systems, material standards, lighting principles, digital integrations, and construction methodologies.
• Produce design intent documentation, technical drawings, development packages, and execution standards.
• Ensure documentation supports consistent global implementation, supplier alignment, and quality assurance.

Design Development & Prototyping

• Oversee the development, prototyping, testing, and validation of new concepts, fixture systems, and technical solutions.
• Ensure smooth transition from concept through development, engineering, sourcing, production, and market implementation.
• Evaluate performance and improve solutions based on market feedback, operational learnings, and implementation results.
• Support pilots, proof-of-concept initiatives, and market validation activities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Execution

• Collaborate with Sales, Key Account Management, Engineering, Brand Marketing, Visual Merchandising, and Operations teams to deliver integrated, commercially relevant solutions.
• Engage global and market stakeholders to align priorities, requirements, timelines, and implementation strategies.
• Manage external agencies, consultants, suppliers, and manufacturing partners throughout design development and execution.
• Influence key stakeholders to secure alignment and progress on strategic design and development initiatives.

Market Enablement & Implementation

• Develop clear implementation standards and execution frameworks for global and market teams.
• Support market teams through rollout planning, execution, and quality assurance.
• Ensure solutions can flex to customer and market requirements while maintaining global brand consistency.
• Provide ongoing technical and design support throughout implementation.

Training & Knowledge Management

• Develop and deliver training programs, tools, and resources for markets and internal stakeholders.
• Build understanding of design standards, development processes, engineering requirements, and execution best practices.
• Maintain and improve design knowledge repositories, technical resources, and development guidelines.
• Share industry insights, emerging technologies, and innovation opportunities across the organization.

Continuous Improvement

• Drive efficiency across design, development, engineering, sourcing, and implementation processes.
• Identify opportunities to improve speed to market, sustainability, quality, and cost effectiveness.
• Establish best practices and governance models that enable scalable global execution.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, accountability, and design excellence.

Key Relationships:

Internal

• Global Wholesale Organization
• Wholesale Excellence & Operations Teams
• Sales & Key Account Management
• Brand Design & Creative Direction
• Visual Merchandising
• Brand Communications & Marketing
• Engineering & Development
• Procurement & Sourcing
• Digital & Omnichannel Teams
• Consumer Experience Teams
• Business Units
• Global Key Markets & Regional Leadership Teams

External

• Design Agencies
• Engineering & Technical Consultants
• Fixture Manufacturers
• Material Suppliers
• Retail Innovation Partners
• Research & Trend Agencies
• Wholesale Retail Partners

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong leadership, organizational, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.
• Ability to think strategically while maintaining strong technical attention to detail.
• Deep expertise in wholesale, retail, experiential, architectural, industrial, or environmental design.
• Strong understanding of design engineering, product development processes, manufacturing, sourcing, and implementation.
• Proven experience developing scalable retail concepts, branded environments, and fixture systems across multiple markets.
• Strong conceptual thinking, visualization, presentation, and storytelling skills.
• Advanced 2D and 3D design skills using SketchUp, VectorWorks, Rhino, 3ds Max, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, or similar software.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience using project management platforms such as Smartsheet, Asana, Monday.com, or similar tools.
• Strong knowledge of materials, construction methods, fixture manufacturing, engineering requirements, and production processes.
• Understanding of sustainability principles, circular design methodologies, and responsible sourcing practices.
• Excellent communication, presentation, collaboration, and influencing skills.
• Ability to build effective relationships with cross-functional teams, global markets, external partners, and senior stakeholders.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a continuous improvement mindset.
• Fluent in English, both written and spoken; additional languages are considered an advantage.

Required Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• Degree in Architecture, Interior Design, Industrial Design, Product Design, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in retail, wholesale, design development, engineering, branded environments, or related fields.
• Proven experience leading concept development from strategy and design through engineering, implementation, and market execution.
• Experience working across multiple international markets and managing diverse stakeholder groups within a global organization.
• Strong track record in design innovation, technical development, and scalable retail and wholesale delivery.
• Experience managing and collaborating with external agencies, suppliers, manufacturers, consultants, and development partners.
• Demonstrated ability to balance creative ambition with technical feasibility, operational requirements, and commercial objectives.
• Strong project management skills with experience driving cross-functional initiatives in complex business environments.
• Agency and/or in-house global brand experience preferred.