What are the responsibilities and job description for the Manager DC Excellence and CI position at Adidas?
LEAN Mission Statement:
At adidas we are committed to live a Continuous Improvement (CI) mindset behind the LEAN philosophy and principle with a focus on Innovation to ultimately maximize customer value while minimizing waste.
Summary:
This position will facilitate the implementation of the LEAN Management philosophy and creating a Continuous Improvement mindset at DTC East. This position will help to identify improvement opportunities and the resources necessary to accomplish planned improvements. It will also lead, coach, and mentor multiple improvement teams within the DC to affect rapid change. Seeking strategical alignment within our DC Network and global counterparts to nurture a Continuous Improvement culture will be required.
Essential duties and responsibilities:
- Adoption of continuous improvement principles and adidas Performance Ecosystem (PeS) framework
- Ensure and drive key continuous improvement principles are in place in the DC (e.g. visual management, performance dialogues, 6S, gemba, etc.) – and in line with global standards
- Support the implementation of the adidas Performance Ecosystem (PeS) framework on site and ensure its sustainability
- Train and coach the shopfloor leadership team through the adoption of the adidas Performance Ecosystem (PeS) framework as well as new continuous improvement tools and routines
- Regularly conduct internal gemba and audits to monitor progress and adoption of global continuous improvement and PeS standards
- Process Improvement
- Support operations process owners to optimize processes incl. regular Kaizen workshops with area leads to identify improvement opportunities (VSM, CIP, etc.)
- Act as key point of contact (SPOC) for all continuous improvement related topics in their area of responsibility
- Drive the Site Improvement Plan (SIP) incl. facilitate the development of a holistic annual action plan for the DC via Target Setting process, work with the regional Lead to secure funding and resources, track progress with the shopfloor leadership team
- Collaborate with cross-functional business partners to support preparation of business cases for the demand process
- Track impact of Target Setting initiatives feeding into global reporting
- Implementation of new tools
- Act as main point of contact and expert to the project teams who implement tools such as Staffing Tool, Labor Management System (LMS), etc.
- Enable the implementation and adoption of Labor Management practices and systems along side the superusers
- Localize global training and tools to ensure best adoption for the shopfloor
- Function as a change agent – continuously challenge the way things are done, promote creativity and out of the box thinking
- Best practice sharing
- Actively share- and seek for best practices across the community of other Distribution Center Excellence & Continuous Improvement Lead; participate in Best Practice Groups to scale up identified best practices
- Contribute to the design of future adidas Performance Ecosystem (PeS) framework
Business Partner/Contacts:
- DC Director
- Regional DC Excellence Sr Manager
- Operations Leadership team
- Industrial Engineering
- Training
- Human Resources
Experience and Skills:
- DC Director
- DC leadership team
- Shopfloor leadership
- DC support functions
- Regional Sr. Manager Global Continuous Improvement
- Director Global Continuous Improvement
- Global community of Continuous Improvement Leads
- Engineering team
- Global and DC IT and Tech team
- Non Trade Procurement teams (global, regional)
Education and Experience:
- Minimum bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering/production engineering with focus on Lean management
- Certified Lean Leader or Lean Six Sigma Yellow belt/Green Belt or above would be preferred
- Industry recognized certification in Project management like PMI-CAPM, IPMA or PRINCE2 would be preferred
- Experience working in logistics or in manufacturing operations with focus on Kaizen/Lean/CI activities
- Experience working in international setup with cross-functional teams including collaboration with senior leadership
- Professional experience working in foreign countries would be an added advantage
Skills:
- Minimum 2 years’ experience implementing continuous improvement concepts
- Demonstrated statistical and analytical problem-solving skills
- Strong communication, facilitation and presentation skills to all levels of the organization
- Demonstrated project management skills and change management experience
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team environment
- Computer skills: MS Office suite, MS Project, MS Visio
- Fluent in English and local language, third language is a plus
- Analytical skills
Willingness to travel for Kaizen workshops, trainings and projects etc.
The working location of this position is Wilkes Barre, PA.
Though our teammates hail from all corners of the world, our working language is English.
Diversity and Inclusion at adidas means championing individual uniqueness and cultivating a culture of belonging in which everyone can create at their best. We embrace DIVERSE backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives and seek to create a workforce that REFLECTS our consumers and communities.
AT ADIDAS WE HAVE A WINNING CULTURE. BUT TO WIN, PHYSICAL POWER IS NOT ENOUGH. JUST LIKE ATHLETES OUR EMPLOYEES NEED MENTAL STRENGTH IN THEIR GAME. WE FOSTER THE ATHLETE’S MINDSET THROUGH A SET OF BEHAVIORS THAT WE WANT TO ENABLE AND DEVELOP IN OUR PEOPLE AND THAT ARE AT THE CORE OF OUR UNIQUE COMPANY CULTURE: THIS IS HOW WE WIN WHILE PLAYING FAIR.
COURAGE: Speak up when you see an opportunity; step up when you see a need..
OWNERSHIP: Pick up the ball. Be proactive, take responsibility and follow-through.
INNOVATION: Elevate to win. Be curious, test and learn new and better ways of doing things.
TEAMPLAY: Win together. Work collaboratively and cultivate a shared mindset.
INTEGRITY: Play by the rules. Hold yourself and others accountable to our company’s standards.
RESPECT: Value all players. Display empathy, be inclusive and show dignity to all.
ADIDAS CELEBRATES DIVERSITY, SUPPORTS INCLUSIVENESS AND ENCOURAGES INDIVIDUAL EXPRESSION IN OUR WORKPLACE. WE DO NOT TOLERATE THE HARASSMENT OR DISCRIMINATION TOWARD ANY OF OUR APPLICANTS OR EMPLOYEES. WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
JOB TITLE:
Manager DC Excellence and CI
BRAND:
LOCATION:
Wilkes-Barre
TEAM:
Supply Chain & Sourcing
STATE:
PA
COUNTRY/REGION:
US
CONTRACT TYPE:
Full time
NUMBER:
525860
DATE:
Mar 14, 2025
