Manager, Innovation Incubation

Purpose

• Contribute to Product Development and Sourcing’s vision to build the Most Agile, Most Competitive, Most Innovative & Sustainable Supply Base in the industry.
• Manage day-to-day innovation incubation activities, translating athlete and business needs into concepts, prototypes, validated solutions and near-production demonstrators.
• Support an open, collaborative incubation environment that brings together adidas teams, suppliers, technology partners and academic experts to deliver solutions that meet agreed expectations.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the day-to-day operation of the innovation incubation space in line with the agreed mission, operating model, resources and success measures.
• Coordinate the collaboration, engineering, prototyping and validation environment, including equipment, materials, testing and safe operations.
• Manage incubation projects from problem definition and concept development through prototyping, testing, iteration and near-production demonstration.
• Support project prioritization and provide recommendations to continue, pivot, transfer or stop activities.
• Coordinate rapid prototyping and structured experimentation using internal, supplier and third-party capabilities.
• Maintain facilities, equipment, software, skills and safety standards, and monitor utilization, readiness and investment needs.
• Build effective working relationships across Brand Innovation, E&MI, regional Innovation Centers and supply partners.
• Implement best practices and support technical training and knowledge-sharing across projects and partners.
• Evaluate feasibility, manufacturability, repeatability, cost, IP, supply chain and scalability, and document recommendations for next steps.
• Track assigned projects, identify and escalate risks, and report progress, utilization, learning and business impact.
• Maintain relevant external contacts and monitor emerging capabilities that can support innovation projects.
• Ensure all sourcing operations and practices comply with adidas’ Responsible Sourcing & Purchasing Policy, adidas standards and applicable legal requirements.
• Share technical knowledge, support colleagues and contribute to an inclusive working environment that reflects Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Key Relationships

• Engineering & Manufacturing Innovation
• Global Brands, Creative Direction & Innovation
• Regional adidas Innovation Centers and Concept teams
• Global Sourcing, Finance, Costing, and Legal
• Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers, factory technical teams, and technology providers

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong project execution and coordination skills, with the ability to translate opportunities into clear incubation activities and deliverables.
• Good understanding of product creation, manufacturing engineering, materials, tooling, machinery, industrialization and the transition from prototype to scalable production.
• Practical knowledge of rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing, digital design and computational tools, process engineering, Design of Experiments, root-cause analysis and technical validation.
• Strong project management, planning and reporting skills, with the ability to coordinate resources, facilities, budgets and stakeholders.
• Effective collaboration, presentation and communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Fluent in English and Chinese, written and spoken.
• Strong Microsoft Office and AI skills.

Requisite Education and Experience

• University degree in engineering, manufacturing, materials science or a related discipline, or an equivalent qualification.
• Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in manufacturing innovation, product or process engineering, technology development or industrialization.