Director Global Continuous Improvement (m/f/d)

Adidas is an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from people of all ages, genders (incl. gender identity), ethnic and social backgrounds, nationalities, sexual orientations, religions and beliefs, and those with apparent or non-apparent disabilities*. We do not tolerate harassment or discrimination toward any of our applicants or employees. * We actively encourage individuals with disabilities to apply and will provide reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process.   Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:   As Director Global Continuous Improvement, you will lead the strategy, governance, and deployment of Continuous Improvement across adidas’ global distribution network, covering both owned and outsourced operations.   The role is responsible for driving operational excellence through Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, standardized ways of working, performance management, capability building, and sustainable transformation initiatives across all distribution centers. This includes ownership of Continuous Improvement standards, tools, training, certification programs, and governance models to ensure consistent deployment across the network.   You will lead the global Continuous Improvement community, fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and capability development while driving Kaizen culture and structured problem-solving practices to improve productivity, quality, service, and operational stability.   You will partner closely with Operations, Engineering, Finance, and regional SCM teams to identify improvement opportunities and scale best practices across the network.     Key Responsibilities   Continuous Improvement

Own the adidas Performance Ecosystem framework Continuously improve our Performance Ecosystem global toolbox and the DC maturity assessment tool; drive regular assessments of all our DC’s Support/ coach our ops leadership to adopt the Performance Ecosystem; set up efficient monitoring to ensure it is adopted and sustained Influence/ coach SCM and distribution leadership to embrace performance and continuous improvement culture; vulgarize Lean to drive high acceptance among operators community Together with operations and finance, define annual efficiency targets and site improvement plans Work with market teams to drive continuous improvement roadmap in our own DC’s or with 3PL’s partners

Certified Community & Best Practices

Establish and nurture cross-regional community of Lean/ Continuous Improvement experts Skill up community of Lean Ambassadors; leverage them to deploy improvement culture on the floor and operations Develop and deploy certified Continuous Improvement and operational excellence training programs across the distribution network; establish the capability and governance model to train, coach, and develop operational teams and leadership communities across all distribution operations.

Optimization & Innovation

Own productivity metrics globally; work with finance and operation to continuously increase consistency and comparability of our productivity metrics Identify large pockets of efficiency; conduct assessment and drive process redesign on-site with operations Engage with industry experts, think tank, suppliers etc. to discover new ways of embedding operations excellence in our operations; develop joint innovation roadmaps Act as a strategic advisor for distribution network initiatives and transformation projects, ensuring Lean and Continuous Improvement principles are embedded into solution design, operational processes, and implementation phases

People Management

Build the appropriate structure to be able to manage the respective organization effectively, identify and develop the future talents and create realistic succession scenarios for key positions

Ensure appropriate leadership skills are present at every