Manager, Sports Marketing (New Zealand)

About the Company At adidas, we are dedicated to maintaining and growing a market-leading, diverse portfolio of partners, athletes, clubs, and federations. Our aim is to support our brand and category objectives by telling compelling product and brand stories. We position adidas as the top-of-mind performance brand in the New Zealand market, and we are looking for a talented individual to join our team. About the Role In this role, you will play a crucial part in developing and executing the local Sports Marketing Plan, ensuring alignment with our business objectives and the global Sports Marketing strategy. You will identify market opportunities that align with our brand objectives and collaborate with Brand Communications to bring these opportunities to life throughout New Zealand. You will manage a diverse partner portfolio that supports key categories and commercial priorities, oversee our partnership with NZ Rugby across the Pacific Market, and ensure that all partners consistently reflect the adidas brand positioning both on and off the sporting landscape. Your responsibilities will also include managing contract negotiations within budget parameters and ensuring compliance with our global Sports Marketing Policy. Additionally, you will integrate local partners into key brand initiatives and campaigns, develop leveraging plans to maximize partner and brand impact, and lead and coach the Sports Marketing team, ensuring alignment with our objectives and effective workload management. You will also manage the local partner budget and supervise all local partner-related activities in close collaboration with the Brand team, delivering industry-leading service to our contracted partners. Key Relationships In this role, you will work closely with our local Brand Marketing, CTC, Digital, Customer Service, Sales, Finance, and Supply Chain teams. You will also collaborate with our global Sports Marketing and adidas Rugby Business Unit, as well as external stakeholders like athletes, teams, federations, and agents. Requirements To be successful in this position, you should possess strong negotiation and commercial decision-making skills, along with strategic marketing experience and excellent interpersonal and influencing abilities. A deep understanding of the New Zealand sporting landscape, established relationships within the sports industry, and proven sports marketing experience are also essential. You should be able to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment, multitask effectively, and manage competing priorities. Strong planning and strategic development skills, along with a high level of commercial and business acumen within sports marketing, are crucial. Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications Candidates should have a university degree in Marketing or a related field, along with a minimum of five years of experience in the sports marketing industry. An established industry network and demonstrated success in stakeholder management are also required. Benefits We offer a dynamic work environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth. You will be part of a passionate team dedicated to making a significant impact in the sports marketing landscape. Join us in our mission to reinforce adidas as the leading performance brand.