Purpose & Overall Relevance For The Organization

This role is responsible for leading the creative and design direction for adidas retail environments across Emerging Markets, ensuring every consumer touchpoint delivers a distinctive, inspiring and consistent brand experience.

As one of the Design Lead for Emerging Markets, the role drives design excellence across the market portfolio by translating global retail concepts into innovative, locally relevant and commercially effective design solutions, while protecting the integrity of the adidas brand.

The role leads and inspires the EM Store Design team, fostering a strong culture of creativity, collaboration and continuous innovation, while ensuring consistently high design standards across all projects. The role also leads design discussions with Country Leads and key market stakeholders, providing creative and commercially relevant solutions, clearly articulating the design rationale, influencing decisions and driving alignment to secure timely design approvals.

Working closely with Global Retail Design and Brand, Commercial, Real Estate and Store Development teams across EM, the role will challenge existing approaches, explore new ideas and create new design solutions that respond to evolving consumer expectations, diverse market needs and emerging retail opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

Act as one of the Design Leads for Emerging Markets, providing creative leadership and design direction across Emerging markets, strategic projects and Rollout Projects.
Lead the end-to-end design journey, from briefing and concept development through design approval, execution and store opening, ensuring design intent and quality are maintained throughout the process.
Support and handhold Cluster Store Development teams during execution, providing timely design solutions and adapting designs to site conditions to deliver the best possible retail experience across the region.
Lead design discussions with Country Leads and key stakeholders, providing creative and commercially relevant solutions, articulating design rationale and influencing alignment to secure timely design approvals.
Translate global retail concepts into innovative, locally relevant and commercially effective solutions, while protecting adidas brand identity, consumer experience and design standards.
Work closely with Global Retail Design, Omni, Brand and other cross-functional teams to ensure concepts, localisation, graphics, storytelling, materials and finishes come together as one cohesive store experience.
Conduct market and site visits at key project stages, supporting contractor briefings, mock-up and sample reviews, design decisions and approvals where required to ensure execution quality.
Develop creative and cost-effective design alternatives for projects with different investment levels, optimize materials, finish and design solutions without compromising the overall brand and consumer experience.
Lead and manage the assigned Design team, including workload and resource planning, project allocation, performance management, coaching and capability development, while fostering a strong culture of creativity, collaboration and ownership.
Provide creative direction to design agencies, architects, contractors and external partners, ensuring consistent design quality and alignment with adidas standards.
Drive design innovation and continuous improvement, exploring new ideas, materials, formats and ways of working, while supporting pilots, bespoke stores and the evolution of retail concepts across Emerging Markets.
Act as a key design partner for Emerging markets, ensuring close collaboration and continuous follow-up between Global and Cluster teams so that the design process remains connected from concept through final delivery.

Key Relationships

Global: Retail Concept Team
EM: DTC, Marketing, Finance Department and Partners/ suppliers.
Clusters: - DTC, Marketing, Finance Department and Partners/ suppliers.

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

Strong creative and conceptual design thinking, with a passion for retail design, consumer experience and innovation
Strong knowledge of retail design, materials, finishes, detailing and store execution.
Strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to inspire, coach and develop a high-performing design team.
Excellent communication, presentation and storytelling skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale and influence key stakeholders.
Strong problem solving and decision-making skills, balancing design ambition with commercial, budget and site requirements.
Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities across diverse markets and cross-functional teams.
Proficiency in relevant design and presentation tools, including AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite, SketchUp and MS Office.
Fluent in English, with the ability to travel domestically and internationally as required.

Requisite Education And Experience / Minimum Qualifications

University degree in Architecture, Interior Design, Architectural Engineering or a related design discipline.
10-12 years of relevant experience in retail design, including experience leading complex retail projects and design teams.
Proven experience in creative design, leadership, stakeholder management and delivering high-quality retail environments across multiple markets.

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.

Sr. Manager Retail Design Architect EM