Tech Team: Tech Enablement - Tech Core

Product Area: Connectivity

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:
Our Senior Director Connectivity will leverage deep technology expertise bringing our internal network to the next level. In this role you will be leading a global team of +25 people across our IT locations and take responsibility for the foundation delivery and operation of our sophisticated and cutting-edge IT Connectivity Infrastructure. This includes Network LAN, WAN, Wireless and Network Security related topic for over 2000 Retail and 1000 office locations. This person will act as a sparring partner and technology counterpart to all related IT and business areas within adidas on global level.

Key Responsibilities:

Innovation
•    Manages the innovation pipeline and executes innovation processes.
•    Develops, evolves, and adapts innovation tools, processes, and infrastructures to drive the process of innovation.
•    Identifies resources and capabilities needed to support innovation.
•    Encourages and motivates innovation communities, teams, and individuals to share creative ideas and learn from failures.
•    Manages and facilitates the communication and open flow of creative ideas between interested parties and the set-up of innovation networks and communities.

Research
•    Builds on and refines appropriate outline ideas for the evaluation, development, demonstration, and implementation of research.
•    Contributes to research goals and funding proposals.
•    Collects and analyses qualitative and quantitative data as required.
•    Creates research reports to communicate research methodology, findings, and conclusions.
•    Presents papers at conferences, contribute significant sections of material of publication quality, and presents reports to clients.
•    Contributes to research plans and identifies appropriate opportunities for publication and dissemination of research findings.
•    Makes an active contribution to research communities.
 

Portfolio, program, and project support
•    Takes responsibility for the provision of portfolio, program, and project support.
•    Advises on the available standards, procedures, methods, tools, and techniques.
•    Evaluates project and/or program performance and recommends changes where necessary.
•    Contributes to reviews and audits of project and program management to ensure conformance to standards.

Business analysis
•    Takes responsibility for investigative work to determine business requirements and specify effective business processes, through improvements in information systems, information management, practices, procedures, and organization change.
•    Selects, adopts, and adapts appropriate business analysis methods, tools, and techniques, selecting appropriately from predictive (plan-driven) approaches or adaptive (iterative/agile) approaches.
•    Collaborates with stakeholders at all levels, in the conduct of investigations for strategy studies, business requirements specifications and feasibility studies.
•    Prepares business cases which define potential benefits, options for achieving these benefits through development of new or changed processes, and associated business risks.

Requirements definition and management
•    Plans and drives scoping, requirements definition and prioritization activities for large, complex initiatives.
•    Selects, adopts, and adapts appropriate requirements definition and management methods, tools and techniques selecting appropriately from predictive (plan-driven) approaches or adaptive (iterative/agile) approaches.
•    Obtains input from, and formal agreement to, requirements from a diverse range of stakeholders.
•    Negotiates with stakeholders to manage competing priorities and conflicts.
•    Establishes requirements baselines.
•    Ensures changes to requirements are investigated and managed.
•    Contributes to the development of organizational methods and standards.

Release and deployment
•    Leads the assessment, analysis, planning and design of release packages, including assessment of risk.
•    Liaises with business and IT partners on release scheduling and communication of progress.
•    Conducts post release reviews.
•    Ensures release processes and procedures are applied and that releases can be rolled back as needed.
•    Identifies, evaluates, and manages the adoption of appropriate release and deployment tools, techniques, and processes (including automation).
 

Relationship management
•    Identifies the communications and relationship needs of stakeholder groups.
•    Translates communications/stakeholder engagement strategies into specific activities and deliverables.
•    Facilitates open communication and discussion between stakeholders, acting as a single point of contact by developing, maintaining, and working to stakeholder engagement strategies and plans.
•    Provides informed feedback to assess and promote understanding.
•    Facilitates business decision-making processes.
•    Captures and disseminates technical and business information.

Product management
•    Creates the product lifecycle management framework for internal and external customers and users.
•    Champions the importance and value of product management principles and appropriate product development models whether predictive (plan-driven) approaches or more adaptive (iterative/agile) approaches.
•    Aligns the product management objectives with business objectives and authorizes the
selection and planning of all product management activities.
•    Initiates creation of new products.
•    Oversees the organization’s suite of products and accountable for delivery of customer value and/or user satisfaction over time.
•    Identifies how new products may create new opportunities and how to adapt existing products to create new opportunities.

People Management / Resource Management

•    Responsible for salary reviews, recruitment, selection, assessment, on-boarding and transitioning of resources.
•    Manages the effective implementation of resource planning, recruitment, selection, assessment, on-boarding and transitioning of resources.
•    Advises on standards, methods, and tools for resource management.
•    Ensures compliance with relevant statutory or external regulations and codes of good practice.
•    Contributes to the development of resource management policies, standards, and guidelines and to audits and assessment of resource management processes.
•    Ensures appropriate leadership skills are present at every level through creating a motivational and supportive work environment in which employees are coached, trained, and provided with career opportunities through development
•    Allocates the different work to the respective employees considering experience, complexity, workload, and organizational efficiency

•    Continuously monitors and evaluates team workload and organizational efficiency with the support of IT systems, data and analysis and team feedback and makes appropriate changes to meet business needs.
•    Provides team members/direct reports with clear direction and targets that are aligned with
business needs and GIT objectives

Key Relationships:

•    TECH
•    Respective business function (GOPS, Finance, HR, Brand Marketing, Wholesale/Retail)
•    HR Management
•    Controlling

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

•    Four-year college or university degree with focus on Business Administration or IT or related areas, or equivalent combination of education and experience
•    Proficient spoken and written command of English
•    At least 15-year experience in IT
•    12 years of experience in relevant area
•    10 years of experience in team management including professional grade
•    Living or working outside home market
•    Lead local market/function projects 
•    Proven Track Record of leading a large global network footprint and IT personal in a likewise industry
•    Cisco certification or strong experience working in a Cisco certified organization would be a advantage
•    Strong vision regarding IT Transformation to bring the organization on the next level
•    Clear understanding on technical product management / Product led IT organization
•    Demonstrates a very high level of confidence and collaboration by setting high expectations for personal by building high performance teams
•    Experienced in managing business & service relationship with global network solution providers across the globe.
•    Strong understanding and a clear vision of next-generation IT Infrastructure (NGI).