Job Description
Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization
As a Project Manager within adidas Digital Content Product Presentation you will lead the execution of medium-scale digital initiatives and key change requests. Operating primarily at the local market level, you will ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to quality standards—always with a focus on consumer expectations. You’ll collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, manage resources, and serve as the central point of contact for local stakeholders.
This role requires bilingual fluency in Japanese and English, strong communication skills, and a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Japan team to ensure local alignment while maintaining strategic isolation. The position is hybrid, with a 50/50 split between in-studio and in-office presence.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Scope: Manage and deliver digital projects on a local & global level
- Coordinate day to day scope of eCom/WHS.com photo and video creation on a seasonal basis
- Manage daily incidents to ensure Digital assets with errors are updated asap to drive conversion/sales and prevent returns (focus on imagery)
- Report on KPIs for all studios and follow up to continuously improve so markets can go-live on-time to drive sales
- Take into consideration the global Styleguide directions
- Act as a contact in stakeholder and photo studio communication
- Support with day to day business for increased requirements from key markets (focus on Asian markets)
- As conflicts and escalations arise within projects, contribute to the identification of solutions and in their resolution in a timely and appropriate manner
- Manage change within projects and ensure changes are smoothly and successfully implemented to achieve lasting benefits
- Drive continuous improvement of products, processes or systems within the project scope
- Monitor project variables (cost, effort, scope, etc.) against plan in order to implement corrective or preventive actions
RESOURCE PLANNING:
- Coordinate internal and external resources to support project execution
- Ensure optimal allocation and utilization of team capacity
- Manage vendor relationships on location, particularly for all shooting-related inquiries
COMMUNICATION:
- Serve as the primary liaison for local stakeholders (markets include Japan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea)
- Communicate effectively with sponsors and stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle
- Resolve conflicts and escalate issues when necessary
- Manage change processes to ensure smooth implementation and lasting impact
- Share market insights regularly with internal teams and cross-functional counterparts
PROJECT CONTROLLING:
- Monitor project costs and ensure alignment with committed budgets
- Conduct engagement reviews and validate quality assurance compliance
- Track key project variables (cost, effort, scope) and implement corrective actions as needed
- Own budget responsibilities including forecasting and vendor cost management
PRODUCT AVAILABILITY-SAMPLE MANAGEMENT
- Conduct all activities as a Single POC / Hub for product sample readiness among Japanlocal stakeholders (DC/Warehouse, Brand & Channel)
- Lead sample delivery for production (ordering, tracking, etc) with the global Product Availability team
- Handle customs-related sample issues and requests
- Analyze data to monitor product availability and agency performance
- Serve as main contact for photo studio sample coordination
- Manage sample orders for the local “buy ready” range collaborating with local stakeholders (shipping, returning to DC, SAP transaction)
- Maintain sample data in Cataligent and across any required internal systems (SAP, Power BI etc.)
- Track, update, and respond to all sample-related queries for studio and local teams
- Support incident-related sample management
- Address sample queries from studio and regional stakeholders (Japan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea)
- Coordinate seasonal product returns from the studio
- Drive process improvements and cross-functional workflow optimization for sample management
ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
AGILE TRANSFORMATION:
- Support the shift toward agile working models and facilitate adoption
- Help shape the demand and delivery process within Digital Content
- Lead initial demand discussions with stakeholders
MARKET DEVELOPMENT:
- Collaborate with Analytics to build market-specific business cases
- Recommend rollout priorities based on market potential
- Partner with IT to develop platform capabilities aligned with business needs
KEY RELATIONSHIPS
- Senior Project Managers / Director Digital Content
- Local and global project teams
- Global IT and business functions (Finance, HR, Marketing, Retail/Wholesale)
- HR & procurement teams
- Japan team (dotted-line collaboration) eCom, WHS, SCM/Warehouse, Brand, CCT
Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications
- University degree in Business, Communication, IT, or related field
- 5+ years of project management experience
- 1–3 years working within relevant digital ecosystems
- Experience in Finance is a plus
- Proven ability to work with diverse stakeholders across functions and seniority levels
Knowledge, Skills and Requirements
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills in both English and Japanese
- Comfortable working in fast-paced, multicultural environments
- Entrepreneurial mindset with a solution-oriented approach
- Strong analytical and numerical capabilities
- Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Willingness to travel domestically and internationally
- Solid understanding of IT fundamentals
- Fluent in English and Japanese, both written and spoken
- SAP experience is a plus
adidas celebrates diversity, supports inclusiveness and encourages individual expression in our workplace. We do not tolerate the harassment or discrimination toward any of our applicants or employees. We are an equal opportunity employer.
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