Senior Manager, Culture Marketing Seeding

At adidas, we never launch a product unless we consider it perfect. Our brand teams bring together creativity, cultural insight, product expertise, and operational excellence to create meaningful connections with consumers. Through thoughtful product seeding, we put the right product in the hands of influential talent, partners, and cultural voices who help shape how adidas shows up in sport, fashion, and culture.

About the role

As Senior Manager, Cultural Marketing Seeding, you will lead the development and execution of Culture Marketing seeding strategy in partnership with the Director of Culture Marketing Seeding. You will own product planning, inventory governance, operational frameworks, and performance measurement to maximize product investments and enable scalable support of adidas' global talent, partner, and influencer networks. This role drives alignment from seasonal planning through execution across Global Brands, Communications, Business Units, Product Marketing, Market teams, agencies, and vendors. It is strategically important to strengthening operational discipline, improving visibility into seeding performance, and ensuring resources are deployed against the brand's most important cultural opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of Culture Marketing seeding strategy aligned with brand priorities, cultural relevance, and consumer impact.
• Establish seeding frameworks, allocation principles, and prioritization models that maximize product investment and support strategic talent and partner relationships.
• Own end-to-end forecasting, allocation, inventory management, and product lifecycle oversight across Culture Marketing seeding initiatives.
• Drive accurate inventory tracking, reconciliation, reporting, and governance while continuously improving seeding processes and tools.
• Partner with Global Brands, Communications, Business Units, Product Marketing, and Market teams to develop seasonal seeding and gifting plans aligned with product and campaign timelines.
• Lead planning and delivery of key seeding initiatives, aligning stakeholders, resources, timelines, and business objectives.
• Manage external agency and vendor partners against established scope, budget, service levels, and performance expectations.
• Develop performance measurement and reporting frameworks that provide visibility into inventory health, seeding impact, operational efficiency, and business opportunities.
• Manage seeding budgets, forecasting, and spend tracking while maintaining financial discipline, compliance, and responsible stewardship of company resources.
• Lead, coach, and develop the Seeding team through clear objectives, accountability, collaboration, and capability building that supports evolving business needs.

Requirements

• Strong knowledge of the sports industry with a demonstrated passion for fashion, streetwear, and relevant cultural trends.
• Strong strategic planning and prioritization skills with the ability to balance long-term objectives and immediate business needs.
• Strong understanding of inventory management, product allocation, and operational planning.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and build alignment across a complex matrix organization.
• Data-driven approach to decision making with the ability to translate insights into clear business actions.
• Strong financial acumen, including experience with budgeting, forecasting, spend management, and vendor oversight.
• Strong attention to detail with a results-focused approach to execution.
• Ability to prioritize and oversee multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities with the ability to establish accountability, foster collaboration, and develop team capabilities.

Qualifications

• Experience supporting product seeding, gifting, influencer, talent, or Culture Marketing programs within a global consumer brand environment.
• Experience partnering across Brand, Communications, Product Marketing, Business Units, and regional or Market organizations.
• Experience developing reporting, analytics, or performance measurement frameworks for product investment and operational programs.

Work Environment

This role operates in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment requiring coordination across multiple internal teams and external partners.

Reporting Structure

This role works in close partnership with the Director of Culture Marketing Seeding and leads, coaches, and develops the Seeding team. The position has significant cross-functional exposure across Global Brands, Communications, Business Units, Product Marketing, Market teams, agencies, and vendor partners.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical coverage including HSA with employer funding or FSA options, dental, vision, and prescription plans.
• Adoption, surrogate, and fertility support programs.
• Short and long term disability coverage.
• Basic life and AD and D insurance with supplemental employee paid options.
• 401(k) plan and Stock Purchase Plan with employer match or applicable adidas contributions.
• Education assistance for eligible full time employees.
• Paid parental and other eligible leave programs.
• Flexible Time Off accrued at 0.4388 hours per day for employees with less than five years of service, increasing with tenure.
• Twelve Company-Designated paid holidays, including a Floating Holiday, plus milestone Service Time Off for eligible employees.
• Employee product discounts and access to wellness and Employee Assistance programs.