Senior Director, Cost Management

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization: 

This is a Senior Director role that leads the Controlling function responsible for managing costs across different areas including PEX, Marketing Expenditures (MAEX), Tech, Supply Chain, Workplaces, back-office overheads, and COSV. Drive disciplined planning, transparent reporting, and cost productivity to support profitable growth. It is expected to also be a strategic business partner to Functional Leaders and other Finance Leaders as a member of the NAM Finance leadership team. The role has a team of 15–20 people that ensures alignment of stakeholders on spending priorities, challenging investment decisions, and presenting clear, actionable recommendations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead NAM cost controlling across PEX, Marketing Expenditures (MAEX), Supply Chain, Workplaces, T&E, Tech, and COSV; own the consolidated spending view and ensure accurate, timely, and transparent reporting with clear accountability for budget owners.
• Lead annual budgeting, rolling forecasts, and long-range cost planning, aligning spending assumptions with workforce and FTE plans, marketing commitments, technology investments, and business priorities.
• Establish cost targets, spending guardrails, and regular performance reviews with functional leaders; constructively challenge spending proposals and agree corrective actions while protecting strategic priorities.
• Present concise, decision-ready financial narratives to senior leadership, translating analysis into clear spending drivers, risks, opportunities, investment trade-offs, and recommended actions supported by effective dashboards and presentations.
• Partner with Budget Owners and Other Finance Leaders to ensure consistent cost governance, including investment business cases, approval discipline, commitment tracking, and post-investment reviews.
• Build trusted relationships across NAM and Global functions; influence decisions without direct authority, resolve competing priorities, and lead cross-functional cost productivity and reinvestment programs with measurable financial outcomes.
• Lead process and reporting transformation across Finance, Non-Trade Purchasing, and business functions, standardizing data, simplifying workflows, and strengthening controls and spending visibility.
• Set and execute an AI and automation roadmap for cost controlling, prioritizing use cases such as variance analysis, forecasting support, spend anomaly detection, and management commentary. Partner with Tech and data teams to pilot and scale approved solutions, measure benefits, and ensure data confidentiality, reliable outputs, and human accountability.
• Lead and develop a high-performing Controlling team, strengthening business partnering, executive communication, analytical judgment, and practical AI capabilities through coaching, succession planning, and continuous improvement

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

• Deep expertise in finance, accounting, controlling, and FP&A, with strong command of cost drivers and governance.
• Proven ability to lead budgeting, cost consolidation, driver-based forecasting, and large-scale savings and reinvestment programs, balancing financial discipline with business growth.
• Proficient in financial planning and front-end reporting tools.
• Experience in leading team transformations especially considering approved generative AI and analytics tools for financial analysis, scenario development, and executive communication, including the ability to frame effective prompts and critically validate outputs.
• Critical thinking to ensure quality presentation of financial information to support recommendations and analysis.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and executive presence; able to build trust, challenge constructively, negotiate trade-offs, and align senior leaders across functions in a complex matrix organization.
• Excellent presentation and financial storytelling skills; able to turn complex data into concise executive materials, deliver clear recommendations tailored to the audience, and respond confidently to challenge and questions.
• Ability to effectively assess employee’s capabilities to develop and build upon their strengths and development gaps; motivate, effectively delegate and coach
• Strong management and coaching skills and experience in leading multi-cultural teams in a fast-moving environment
• Innovative, action-oriented, and solution-minded team player.
• At adidas we offer a Hybrid work policy which requires attendance in the office Monday through Thursday, with the flexibility to work remotely on Friday each week. For work requiring a high degree of collaboration or an in-person presentation, in-office attendance is required even on Friday.

 

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• Proven experience leading cost controlling or FP&A with significant budget accountability, partnering with senior functional leaders, and presenting financial recommendations to executive audiences.
• Advanced degree or qualification in Business, Finance, Accounting or Economics
• Minimum 10-12 years of broad-based Finance and cross-functional experience with progressive responsibility

• Minimum of 5-10 years management experience required

• Demonstrated experience leading finance process improvement and adoption of digital, automation, or AI-enabled solutions, with measurable benefits and appropriate governance.

 

• adidas celebrates diversity, supports inclusiveness and encourages individual expression in our workplace. We actively encourage individuals with disabilities to apply and will provide reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. We do not tolerate the harassment or discrimination toward any of our applicants or employees. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. 
• adidas offers robust and progressive medical, including HSA (Health Savings Account) with employer funding or FSA (Flexible Spending Account) options, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, adoption, with surrogate and fertility support, short and long-term disability, and basic life and AD&D insurance. Employees are able to enroll in adidas’ 401k plan and Stock Purchase Plan with employer match. Full-time employees are eligible for education assistance and generous Leave policies including 14 weeks of paid parental leave.   ​
• Employees are eligible to earn an annual bonus based on company performance. Employees accrue prorated flexible time off in the amount .4388 hours per day that increases with years of service, twelve paid holidays throughout the calendar year and Service Time Off during milestone years.  ​
• At adidas we offer a Hybrid work policy which requires attendance in the office Monday through Thursday, with the flexibility to work remotely on Friday each week. For work requiring a high degree of collaboration or an in-person presentation, in-office attendance is required even on Friday. The working location of this position is Portland, OR.​
• Though our teammates hail from all corners of the world, our working language is English.