adidas
Manager Footwear Development / Athlete Product Excellence - Performance Basketba
adidas, Los Angeles, California, United States, 90079
Manager Footwear Development / Athlete Product Excellence - Performance Basketball
Key Responsibilities This is a hybrid role between BB Development and Athlete Product Excellence (APEX). Lead the full development process for assigned footwear projects, with a focus on engineering excellence, athlete-driven performance, and innovative problem-solving. Partner directly with athletes, product management, and design to translate sport-specific needs and biomechanical insights into footwear solutions that enhance performance on court. Collaborate with suppliers and factories to develop new construction methods, materials, and manufacturing processes that push the boundaries of basketball footwear. Engineer products for both elite custom solutions (athlete-specific footwear) and scalable inline performance models, balancing innovation, manufacturability, and cost efficiency. Provide technical solutions through rapid prototyping, materials analysis, and applied biomechanics, ensuring all designs meet adidas quality standards. Drive accuracy and timeliness across systems and samples, while achieving key KPIs (margins, sustainability, on-time delivery). Mentor junior team members, fostering a culture of innovation, technical curiosity, and continuous improvement. Support cross-functional innovation projects that influence the future of performance footwear. Support local athlete visits and/or on the road visits for product testing with athletes Act as liaison between the Inline Development and Athlete Product Excellence teams (APEX) Drive performance creation process with Inline & APEX teams at key milestones with test samples, tech files, athlete insights, key sizes, etc. Manage, confirm and upload CADs for key athlete projects. Key Relationships Sports Marketing Product Management Design Advanced Creation (Testing & Quality) Sourcing & Factories Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Deep knowledge of the footwear creation process (lasts, patterns, construction, tooling, testing). Strong understanding of sport-specific movement, biomechanics, and athlete performance needs. Ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously and prioritize effectively. Experience working with new technologies, innovations, and rapid prototyping tools. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across diverse teams and directly with athletes. Business acumen and problem-solving mindset. Fluent in English; additional languages a plus. Willingness to travel domestically and internationally (up to 20%) Education & Experience University degree in Engineering, Sport Science (Biomechanics, Physiology, etc) or related field; 2+ years of relevant experience in footwear product development, ideally with exposure to performance or athlete-specific footwear. Passion for basketball and innovation in sport performance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at adidas means championing individual uniqueness and cultivating a culture of belonging in which everyone can create at their best. We embrace diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives and seek to create a workforce that reflects our consumers and communities. adidas offers robust and progressive medical, including HSA (Health Savings Account) with employer funding or FSA (Flexible Spending Account) options, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, adoption, with surrogate and fertility support, short and long-term disability, and basic life and AD&D insurance, which can be supplemented with employee-paid coverage. Employees are able to enroll in adidas’ 401k plan and Stock Purchase Plan with employer match. Full-time employees are eligible for education assistance and generous Leave policies including 12 weeks of paid parental leave. Employees are eligible to earn an annual bonus based on both company and personal performance. Employees accrue prorated flexible time off in the amount .4388 hours per day that increases with years of service, twelve paid holidays throughout the calendar year and Service Time Off during milestone years. The anticipated low and high end of the base pay range for this position is $95,000 - $118,000. Actual salary will be based on various factors, such as a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills and competencies, proficiency for the role. 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. The working location of this position is Los Angeles, California. Though our teammates hail from all corners of the world, our working language is English. AT ADIDAS WE HAVE A WINNING CULTURE. BUT TO WIN, PHYSICAL POWER IS NOT ENOUGH. JUST LIKE ATHLETES OUR EMPLOYEES NEED MENTAL STRENGTH IN THEIR GAME. WE FOSTER THE ATHLETE’S MINDSET THROUGH A SET OF BEHAVIORS THAT WE WANT TO ENABLE AND DEVELOP IN OUR PEOPLE AND THAT ARE AT THE CORE OF OUR UNIQUE COMPANY CULTURE: THIS IS HOW WE WIN WHILE PLAYING FAIR. COURAGE:
Speak up when you see an opportunity; step up when you see a need. OWNERSHIP:
Pick up the ball. Be proactive, take responsibility and follow-through. INNOVATION:
Elevate to win. Be curious, test and learn new and better ways of doing things. TEAMPLAY:
Win together. Work collaboratively and cultivate a shared mindset. INTEGRITY:
Play by the rules. Hold yourself and others accountable to our company’s standards. RESPECT:
Value all players. Display empathy, be inclusive and show dignity to all. At adidas, we strongly believe that embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into our culture and talent processes gives our employees a sense of belonging and our brand a real competitive advantage.
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Key Responsibilities This is a hybrid role between BB Development and Athlete Product Excellence (APEX). Lead the full development process for assigned footwear projects, with a focus on engineering excellence, athlete-driven performance, and innovative problem-solving. Partner directly with athletes, product management, and design to translate sport-specific needs and biomechanical insights into footwear solutions that enhance performance on court. Collaborate with suppliers and factories to develop new construction methods, materials, and manufacturing processes that push the boundaries of basketball footwear. Engineer products for both elite custom solutions (athlete-specific footwear) and scalable inline performance models, balancing innovation, manufacturability, and cost efficiency. Provide technical solutions through rapid prototyping, materials analysis, and applied biomechanics, ensuring all designs meet adidas quality standards. Drive accuracy and timeliness across systems and samples, while achieving key KPIs (margins, sustainability, on-time delivery). Mentor junior team members, fostering a culture of innovation, technical curiosity, and continuous improvement. Support cross-functional innovation projects that influence the future of performance footwear. Support local athlete visits and/or on the road visits for product testing with athletes Act as liaison between the Inline Development and Athlete Product Excellence teams (APEX) Drive performance creation process with Inline & APEX teams at key milestones with test samples, tech files, athlete insights, key sizes, etc. Manage, confirm and upload CADs for key athlete projects. Key Relationships Sports Marketing Product Management Design Advanced Creation (Testing & Quality) Sourcing & Factories Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Deep knowledge of the footwear creation process (lasts, patterns, construction, tooling, testing). Strong understanding of sport-specific movement, biomechanics, and athlete performance needs. Ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously and prioritize effectively. Experience working with new technologies, innovations, and rapid prototyping tools. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across diverse teams and directly with athletes. Business acumen and problem-solving mindset. Fluent in English; additional languages a plus. Willingness to travel domestically and internationally (up to 20%) Education & Experience University degree in Engineering, Sport Science (Biomechanics, Physiology, etc) or related field; 2+ years of relevant experience in footwear product development, ideally with exposure to performance or athlete-specific footwear. Passion for basketball and innovation in sport performance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at adidas means championing individual uniqueness and cultivating a culture of belonging in which everyone can create at their best. We embrace diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives and seek to create a workforce that reflects our consumers and communities. adidas offers robust and progressive medical, including HSA (Health Savings Account) with employer funding or FSA (Flexible Spending Account) options, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, adoption, with surrogate and fertility support, short and long-term disability, and basic life and AD&D insurance, which can be supplemented with employee-paid coverage. Employees are able to enroll in adidas’ 401k plan and Stock Purchase Plan with employer match. Full-time employees are eligible for education assistance and generous Leave policies including 12 weeks of paid parental leave. Employees are eligible to earn an annual bonus based on both company and personal performance. Employees accrue prorated flexible time off in the amount .4388 hours per day that increases with years of service, twelve paid holidays throughout the calendar year and Service Time Off during milestone years. The anticipated low and high end of the base pay range for this position is $95,000 - $118,000. Actual salary will be based on various factors, such as a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills and competencies, proficiency for the role. 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. The working location of this position is Los Angeles, California. Though our teammates hail from all corners of the world, our working language is English. AT ADIDAS WE HAVE A WINNING CULTURE. BUT TO WIN, PHYSICAL POWER IS NOT ENOUGH. JUST LIKE ATHLETES OUR EMPLOYEES NEED MENTAL STRENGTH IN THEIR GAME. WE FOSTER THE ATHLETE’S MINDSET THROUGH A SET OF BEHAVIORS THAT WE WANT TO ENABLE AND DEVELOP IN OUR PEOPLE AND THAT ARE AT THE CORE OF OUR UNIQUE COMPANY CULTURE: THIS IS HOW WE WIN WHILE PLAYING FAIR. COURAGE:
Speak up when you see an opportunity; step up when you see a need. OWNERSHIP:
Pick up the ball. Be proactive, take responsibility and follow-through. INNOVATION:
Elevate to win. Be curious, test and learn new and better ways of doing things. TEAMPLAY:
Win together. Work collaboratively and cultivate a shared mindset. INTEGRITY:
Play by the rules. Hold yourself and others accountable to our company’s standards. RESPECT:
Value all players. Display empathy, be inclusive and show dignity to all. At adidas, we strongly believe that embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into our culture and talent processes gives our employees a sense of belonging and our brand a real competitive advantage.
#J-18808-Ljbffr