Senior Manager - Reporting & Future Capability

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization: 

adidas Global Business Services (GBS) in India provides high-quality services in Accounts Payable, Receivable, Retail and eCommerce Accounting, Controlling & Reporting, and HR Services to adidas companies in Europe and the Americas. This role leads and coordinates the Corporate Controlling team, supporting and managing budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and cost monitoring. The position supports business goals by analysing financial indicators, reporting KPIs, and promoting performance management, while driving automation and leveraging Business Intelligence tools like MS Power-BI to improve financial processes and support the Digital Finance transformation.

Key Responsibilities:   

• Lead and Operate
  • Lead and manage the Reporting and Future Capability team, ensuring operational efficiency, a strong control mindset, and effective collaboration with senior management and global teams.
  • Build a high-performing team focused on quality, innovation, and service, promoting continuous learning while improving training, onboarding, and knowledge retention.
  • Drive process automation and standardization across functions, identifying areas for improvement.

• Management Reporting 
  • Deliver accurate, insightful, and visually appealing reporting solutions and ad hoc analysis, ensuring data integrity and consistency.
  • Develop communication packages to present results, recommendations, and solutions, maintaining transparency in financial data.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure system integration supports seamless financial reporting and controls across departments.

• Planning & Forecasting 
  • Support controllers in the budgeting, forecasting, and cost monitoring processes by executing tasks accurately and on time.
  • Assist in developing new processes and standards, contributing to automation, and driving the achievement of business targets.

• Innovation/Future Capability
  • Identify opportunities for innovation in Financial Planning, Analysis, and Reporting, leveraging analytics and technology to improve efficiency and decision-making.
  • Lead automation projects between Business Intelligence tools (Power-BI) and backend systems (Lakehouse-Databricks) to streamline reporting.

• Others 
  • Continuously review and refine financial planning and reporting process for greater accuracy and scalability.
  • Lead initiatives to automate manual processes, improving speed and accuracy.

Key Relationships: 

• Internal Business Stakeholders
• adidas Finance Teams 
• GBS Finance team / GBS Innovation Team
• Business transformation team (TRANS4RM project)
• Global Data & Analytics Team (DNA)
• Accounting, Taxes, Treasury
• Human Resources
• Senior Leadership Teams

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:  

• Strong understanding of finance and accounting principles, with expertise in Controlling/FP&A and financial KPIs and quality controls.
• Experience managing large data sets, implementing process automation, and leveraging analytics for financial decision-making.
• Knowledge of international business dynamics and ability to work cross-functionally with external business drivers.
• Proactive problem-solving, with experience in digital finance transformation, process innovation, and change management.
• Expertise in MS Excel, SAP S/4 Hana, SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC), Power BI and Central Finance (CFIN) implementation.
• Proven leadership experience, with the ability to manage and develop mid-sized teams and collaborate on global, multinational projects.
• Strong customer orientation and ability to work under pressure.
• Proficiency in English (written and spoken).

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:  

• Professional degree in Finance (CFA/CPA/CA/CWA/MBA Finance)
• IT certification (Power-BI, SQL) preferred
• Leadership experience with 12+ years in a relevant role, including 2+ years handling Power-BI projects as part of finance transformation
• Experience in a Shared Services environment
• Lean training certification is a plus