Manager, Innovation Costing

Job description

Purpose A key player in Product Development and Sourcing in driving to be the Most Agile, Most Competitive, Most Innovative & Sustainable Supply Base in the industry. Execute innovation-costing activities for new materials, concepts and machinery investments by developing accurate cost breakdowns, maintaining data and coordinating inputs across functions. Prepare timely budget, chargeback and expenditure reporting for Engineering & Manufacturing Innovation and follow through on agreed actions.

Key Responsibilities

Apply established costing methodologies consistently within global costing systems and processes. Build, maintain and update end-to-end costing models for assigned innovation projects, ensuring assumptions, inputs and outputs are complete and traceable. Collect, validate and consolidate cost inputs from Engineering & Manufacturing Innovation teams, Finance, Costing, Product Development and suppliers. Track costing deliverables, timelines, risks and open actions, and escalate issues when support or decisions are required.

Prepare and deliver accurate monthly reports on budgets, expenditures and chargebacks, including variance explanations and follow-up actions. Coordinate with Finance to reconcile data, monitor spending, resolve discrepancies and support timely financial reporting. Support the implementation of costing frameworks, tools and templates for new technologies and materials across internal teams and Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers.

Maintain costing data, documentation and standard work to ensure transparency, consistency and audit readiness, and lead benchmarking exercises for selected products and competitors Perform cost comparisons, scenario analyses and business-case calculations to support project decisions and cost optimization. Identify practical process improvements and implement agreed actions that improve data quality, cycle time and operational efficiency.

Execute all activities in compliance with the adidas Responsible Sourcing & Purchasing Policy, adidas standards and applicable legal requirements. Contribute to a collaborative, diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace through reliable delivery, ownership and teamplay. Key Relationships Engineering & Manufacturing Innovation Regional adidas Innovation Centers and Concept teams Global Sourcing, Finance, and Costing Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers, factory technical teams, and technology providers Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Good working knowledge of product and material costing, product development, manufacturing or sourcing operations.

Strong numerical and analytical skills, with the ability to build costing models, validate data, explain variances and prepare clear recommendations. Demonstrated attention to detail and discipline in maintaining accurate data, documentation, timelines and reporting. Practical problem-solving skills and the ability to translate issues into clear actions and follow through to closure. Sound project coordination and process-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders.

Ability to understand new technologies and manufacturing innovations and convert them into practical costing structures and working tools. Clear communication, collaboration and presentation skills, with confidence working across functions and with suppliers. Fluent in English and Chinese, written and spoken. Proficient in Microsoft Office and able to use AI tools to improve analysis, documentation and productivity. Requisite

Education and Experience

University degree in business, finance, engineering, purchasing or a related discipline, or an equivalent qualification. Typically, 3+ years of relevant experience in product costing, manufacturing, product development or project coordination within a multinational environment. Hands-on experience preparing cost analyses, maintaining project or financial data, coordinating cross-functional inputs and delivering work against defined timelines.