Planning the range and managing performance
The vacancy advertised by Business of Fashion Careers spans decisions made before a season and adjustments once products are on sale. The manager will turn financial forecasts into seasonal open-to-buy plans, setting out product investment for the relevant categories while managing risks and opportunities against monthly, quarterly and seasonal targets.
The EU eCom Planning & Trading team determines the seasonal assortment and the quantities and timing of purchases. Within that team, the senior manager will develop the merchandise financial plan and pre-season assortment framework, then use trading results to guide commercial decisions during the season.
Responsibilities include running monthly financial planning and regular trading reviews. Sales, inventory, traffic, conversion, sell-through and profitability data will inform recommendations on product visibility, availability, pricing and promotions, in partnership with Buying and other e-commerce teams.
The manager will also report month-to-date, quarter-to-date and year-to-date assortment performance against seasonal plans across Adidas' own e-commerce business, its Partner Program and other marketing outlets. Leading and developing a team is another part of the role.
Football growth amid mixed European results
The recruitment comes as Adidas reports growth in both football and online sales. In its third-quarter results released October 29, 2026, the company reported a 17% currency-neutral increase in direct-to-consumer net sales. E-commerce revenue rose 18%, while revenue from company-operated retail stores increased 16%, with double-digit like-for-like growth across all store formats.
Europe's results were more mixed: third-quarter revenue fell 4% on a currency-neutral basis, even as the company's own channels recorded high-single-digit growth. Adidas attributed the regional decline to its conservative approach to wholesale sell-in amid high marketplace inventories and promotional activity in lifestyle footwear.
Earlier in the year, the Performance division recorded 39% currency-neutral growth in the second quarter, led by double-digit gains in Football and Running. Adidas attributed football's momentum to its FIFA World Cup 2026 range, which included home and away jerseys for 14 competing federations, pre-match team wear and the official match ball, Trionda.
Candidate requirements and the Amsterdam team
Adidas wants a commercially focused leader who combines an interest in sport, particularly football, with product judgment and analytical skills. The qualifications include a bachelor's degree in business, marketing, finance, economics or a related field; at least five years of overall work experience; fashion or sporting goods industry experience; and relevant people management experience.
Candidates are expected to understand merchandising and the product lifecycle, along with assortment and digital performance measures such as traffic, AOV, PDP views, CVR, ROS, markdown and sell-through. Advanced Excel skills and spoken and written English fluency are required. Power BI proficiency is a plus.
The listing also calls for relevant e-commerce experience, describing at least three years in trading planning, merchandising demand forecasting or equivalent work as a plus. Candidates should be able to work across functions in a matrix organization and communicate complex findings clearly.
Adidas' Amsterdam office is the global headquarters for its digital teams and functions. More than 1,300 employees representing over 80 nationalities work there, next to the Johan Cruijff ArenA, home of Dutch football club AFC Ajax.
The Adidas Amsterdam careers page listed the senior manager vacancy as posted November 6, 2026. As of early November, it also carried a Buying Manager - Football opening posted October 13, 2026, showing concurrent recruitment for football merchandising roles in the city. Both positions were listed under Merchandising & Planning.
