Senior Director Product Ownership Connectivity (m/f/d)

Tech Team: Tech Enablement – Tech Core

Product Area: Connectivity

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:Our Senior Director Connectivity will leverage deep technology expertise bringing our internal network to the next level. In this role you will be leading a global team of +25 people across our IT locations and take responsibility for the foundation delivery and operation of our sophisticated and cutting-edge IT Connectivity Infrastructure. This includes Network LAN, WAN, Wireless and Network Security related topic for over 2000 Retail and 1000 office locations. This person will act as a sparring partner and technology counterpart to all related IT and business areas within adidas on global level.

Key Responsibilities

Innovation

• Manages the innovation pipeline and executes innovation processes.
• Develops, evolves, and adapts innovation tools, processes, and infrastructures to drive the process of innovation.
• Identifies resources and capabilities needed to support innovation.
• Encourages and motivates innovation communities, teams, and individuals to share creative ideas and learn from failures.
• Manages and facilitates the communication and open flow of creative ideas between interested parties and the set-up of innovation networks and communities.

Research

• Builds on and refines appropriate outline ideas for the evaluation, development, demonstration, and implementation of research.
• Contributes to research goals and funding proposals.
• Collects and analyses qualitative and quantitative data as required.
• Creates research reports to communicate research methodology, findings, and conclusions.
• Presents papers at conferences, contribute significant sections of material of publication quality, and presents reports to clients.
• Contributes to research plans and identifies appropriate opportunities for publication and dissemination of research findings.
• Makes an active contribution to research communities.

Portfolio, program, and project support

• Takes responsibility for the provision of portfolio, program, and project support.
• Advises on the available standards, procedures, methods, tools, and techniques.
• Evaluates project and/or program performance and recommends changes where necessary.
• Contributes to reviews and audits of project and program management to ensure conformance to standards.

Business analysis

• Takes responsibility for investigative work to determine business requirements and specify effective business processes, through improvements in information systems, information management, practices, procedures, and organization change.
• Selects, adopts, and adapts appropriate business analysis methods, tools, and techniques, selecting appropriately from predictive (plan-driven) approaches or adaptive (iterative/agile) approaches.
• Collaborates with stakeholders at all levels, in the conduct of investigations for strategy studies, business requirements specifications and feasibility studies.
• Prepares business cases which define potential benefits, options for achieving these benefits through development of new or changed processes, and associated business risks.

Requirements definition and management

• Plans and drives scoping, requirements definition and prioritization activities for large, complex initiatives.
• Selects, adopts, and adapts appropriate requirements definition and management methods, tools and techniques selecting appropriately from predictive (plan-driven) approaches or adaptive (iterative/agile) approaches.
• Obtains input from, and formal agreement to, requirements from a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Negotiates with stakeholders to manage competing priorities and conflicts.
• Establishes requirements baselines.
• Ensures changes to requirements are investigated and managed.
• Contributes to the development of organizational methods and standards.

Release and deployment

• Leads the assessment, analysis, planning and design of release packages, including assessment of risk.
• Liaises with business and IT partners on release scheduling and communication of progress.
• Conducts post release reviews.
• Ensures release processes and procedures are applied and that releases can be rolled back as needed.
• Identifies, evaluates, and manages the adoption of appropriate release and deployment tools, techniques, and processes (including automation).

Relationship management

• Identifies the communications and relationship needs of stakeholder groups.
• Translates communications/stakeholder engagement strategies into specific activities and deliverables.
• Facilitates open communication and discussion between stakeholders, acting as a single point of contact by developing, maintaining, and working to stakeholder engagement strategies and plans.
• Provides informed feedback to assess and promote understanding.
• Facilitates business decision-making processes.
• Captures and disseminates technical and business information.

Product management

• Creates the product lifecycle management framework for internal and external customers and users.
• Champions the importance and value of product management principles and appropriate product development models whether predictive (plan-driven) approaches or more adaptive (iterative/agile) approaches.
• Aligns the product management objectives with business objectives and authorizes theselection and planning of all product management activities.
• Initiates creation of new products.
• Oversees the organization’s suite of products and accountable for delivery of customer value and/or user satisfaction over time.
• Identifies how new products may create new opportunities and how to adapt existing products to create new opportunities.

People Management / Resource Management

• Responsible for salary reviews, recruitment, selection, assessment, on-boarding and transitioning of resources.
• Manages the effective implementation of resource planning, recruitment, selection, assessment, on-boarding and transitioning of resources.
• Advises on standards, methods, and tools for resource management.
• Ensures compliance with relevant statutory or external regulations and codes of good practice.
• Contributes to the development of resource management policies, standards, and guidelines and to audits and assessment of resource management processes.
• Ensures appropriate leadership skills are present at every level through creating a motivational and supportive work environment in which employees are coached, trained, and provided with career opportunities through development
• Allocates the different work to the respective employees considering experience, complexity, workload, and organizational efficiency
• Continuously monitors and evaluates team workload and organizational efficiency with the support of IT systems, data and analysis and team feedback and makes appropriate changes to meet business needs.
• Provides team members/direct reports with clear direction and targets that are aligned withbusiness needs and GIT objectives

Key Relationships

• TECH
• Respective business function (GOPS, Finance, HR, Brand Marketing, Wholesale/Retail)
• HR Management
• Controlling

Requisite Education And Experience / Minimum Qualifications

• Four-year college or university degree with focus on Business Administration or IT or related areas, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Proficient spoken and written command of English
• At least 15-year experience in IT
• 12 years of experience in relevant area
• 10 years of experience in team management including professional grade
• Living or working outside home market
• Lead local market/function projects
• Proven Track Record of leading a large global network footprint and IT personal in a likewise industry
• Cisco certification or strong experience working in a Cisco certified organization would be a advantage
• Strong vision regarding IT Transformation to bring the organization on the next level
• Clear understanding on technical product management / Product led IT organization
• Demonstrates a very high level of confidence and collaboration by setting high expectations for personal by building high performance teams
• Experienced in managing business & service relationship with global network solution providers across the globe.
• Strong understanding and a clear vision of next-generation IT Infrastructure (NGI).