Purpose
On our path to become a truly sustainable company, we are taking a leading position in a German government-funded, highly ambitious innovation program focusing on a cross-industry shift towards a bio-based future. The innovation program, consisting of several technology-focused projects and a consortium of 20+ partners, is steered by a Project Management Office. The PMO’s responsibilities include 1) coordination and control of ongoing projects, 2) initiation, review and onboarding of new projects, 3) controlling and reporting, as well as 4) external communication with business and scientific stakeholders. You will take on a key role in the PMO team to make the innovation program a success.
Key Accountabilities
* Enable and facilitate communication across project boundaries
* Support R&D projects by providing common standards that enhance effectiveness and efficiency (e.g. project management standards)
* Maintain and improve a reporting system that provides internal and external stakeholders a valuable overview of the project portfolio (e.g. scope, cost, time)
* Prepare research project status reports and presentations, communicating to both internal and external partners and funding bodies
* Drive funding application process in alignment with all parties and adidas strategic roadmap
* Coordinate an innovation management process to support development of impactful research concepts
Additional Accountabilities
* Build constructive relationships with government representatives in the context of public R&D funding
* Support to continuously refine the strategic direction of the innovation program
* Contribute to transfer R&D results into meaningful innovations
* Stay connected to relevant current and upcoming research, technologies, methods, and industry trends; build an effective information network
* Manage communications between the innovation program and external stakeholders (including companies, universities, press)
* Educate and train colleagues by sharing knowledge on an on-going basis
* Consider legal implications of research projects, working with the legal team to protect where applicable
Qualifications
1. Curiosity for technology and ecological sustainability along with a passion for making insights in the field of sport
2. University degree in a relevant field, PhD is a plus
3. 3 years of working experiences (preferably in publicly funded R&D projects, PMO, and/or program management)
4. Fluent English and German (verbal and written)
5. Strong analytical skills, solution driven and result oriented
6. Strong MS Office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and ideally project management tool experience (e.g. Smartsheet)
7. Experience in project management methods (e.g. PRINCE2) is a plus
8. Ability to travel domestically and internationally
9. Comfortable in an environment with universities and government representatives
10. Communicate and negotiate effectively
11. Collaborate well, develop and maintain relationships
12. Work independently as well as part of a team
13. Plan working time efficiently, balancing short term tasks with long term goals