Manager Internal Controls System

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization: 

This is an exciting position that will directly contribute to a strong corporate governance environment through developing, coordinating, implementing and measuring performance of a meaningful system of internal controls throughout adidas.  

The Manager Internal Controls System (ICS) is tasked to work with business process owners to build a comprehensive system covering key risks and controls to enable testing to be performed by Markets, Functions and Global Business Services (GBS). The results of effectiveness of internal controls testing performed is periodically summarized and presented on a timely regular basis, including to the Chief Audit Officer, the Chief Financial Officer and the Audit Committee of the Supervisory Board.  

This role involves being a key team member of the ICS team within the Corporate Internal Audit (CIA) department. For purposes of independence and objectivity, this department operates separate from Internal Audit without pooling or sharing of resources, while also realizing synergies and opportunities for sharing of relevant information, systems and capabilities (including back office support within CIA).  

The Manager ICS supports the coordination of the system, framework and controls testing activities that ensures compliance and conformity to professional standards and requirements for an effective internal controls framework, system and processes in accordance with IDW PS 982. Due to responsibilities sitting within CIA, there will need to be a periodic (e.g. at least every 5 years) quality certification of the ICS by an independent external auditor. Internal Controls System team members are value-adding business partners focused on supporting adidas in creating a sound internal controls framework which helps achievement of strategic objectives. 

This position offers learning, development, and creation opportunities in an international environment within a multi-cultural, sports enthusiastic team that values inclusion and diversity. The team embraces change and innovation to support the company mission to be the best sports company in the world.  

Key Responsibilities:  

• Internal Controls Framework: Contribute to defining, documenting and enabling testing of framework of key internal controls across all business processes (e.g. financial statement closing, order-to-cash, source-to-pay, concept-to-shelf, human resources) sales channels (e.g. wholesale, franchise, retail, e-commerce) and entity level controls (e.g. policies, tone from the top). Partner with business process owners and other governance functions for regular timely updates to framework of key controls definition in risk-control matrices. 

• Serve as an information technology controls expert. This includes advising the business on the definition of General Information Technology Controls and IT Application Controls, enabling the efficient testing of in-scope IT controls and training the wider ICS community on IT controls. This also includes supporting the IT audit by our external financial statement auditor, as needed.  

• Continuously expand and upgrade IT skillset and knowledge, understanding of adidas systems, processes, policies and business practices, and general industry practices.  

• Scoping: Coordinate scoping of entities and key controls to ensure completeness of testing. 

• Continuous maintenance of the ‘ICS testing manual’ and relevant standard operating procedures to ensure high quality ICS testing at Market / GBS / Corporate Function and entity level.  

• Calendar: Contribute to and maintain the annual calendar of events and activities. Identify opportunities to update or enhance calendar and anticipate needs for changes. 

• Communications: Support ICS leadership with preparing timely and regular communication to company-wide internal controls community, key contacts at Market / Function / GBS and Corporate level as well as with other assurance functions. Maintain ICS communication platforms including Teams channel(s), SharePoint and Yammer sites and ad hoc communications as needed. 

• Quality assurance: Reviewing ICS testing results and documentation (on a sample basis) at Market / GBS / Corporate Function and entity level. 

• Reporting: Support ICS leadership by preparing timely and regular reporting of results of internal controls testing, actions to remediate issues, internal controls automation, key initiatives and improvement opportunities. 

• Systems: Serve as Product Owner for key information technology systems used for ICS, including existing system(s) and potential system interfaces. Providing trainings and documentation for purpose of supporting user experience and testing. 

• Follow-Up: Drive the process for validating closure of action plans stemming from failed internal controls testing results. 

• Continuous Improvement: Drive continuous improvement initiatives to further enhance ICS framework, methodology, cadence, communication and impact. 

• Support projects on company-wide corporate governance issues, e.g. S4 HANA ERP implementation, Celonis implementation for e.g. continuous control monitoring of segregation of duties for system access rights ruleset, etc.  

• Business partnering with local ICS colleagues and Corporate Functions, e.g. provide data sets for ICS Testing, support during ICS Testing, etc.  

Key Relationships: 

• Chief Audit Officer and Internal Controls System team members 

• Internal Controls resources at Market, Function and Global Business Services (GBS) 

• Aligned Assurance functions, including Internal Audit, Risk Management, Legal & Compliance, Corporate Accounting, Information Security, etc. 

• Global functions and Market contacts covering all areas of the business: Internal Controls, Sales, Brand, Finance & GBS, Human Resources, Global Operations and Corporate Functions 

• TECH functions (e.g. Information Security, Platform Engineering, Enterprise Architecture etc.)  

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: 

• Solution-oriented, adaptable, decisive, self-motivated, driven and committed team player with integrity and perseverance.  

• Able to accept and meet deadlines, involving effective time management capacity and sense of priorities and agility. 

• Strong analytic capabilities to manage large volume of information from various sources (interviews, data) and derive meaningful observations. Experience with internal controls, data analytics and automation extremely beneficial. 

• Strong interpersonal skills combined with a high degree of customer orientation; can adapt and navigate easily within a changing environment and complex organizations, able to connect with a variety of functions, audiences, management styles, or cultures and create/foster stakeholder relationships.  

• Curious and growth mindset; keen to learn and approach subjects outside of comfort zone, able to think critically and bring in different perspectives. 

• Comfortable to present and communicate in English effectively, both in writing and verbally. 

• Additional language skills would be advantageous (e.g., German, Mandarin, Spanish, etc.) 

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications: 

• University degree in a business-related discipline (e.g., Accounting/Controlling/Finance, Management, Business Administration, International Business etc.)  

• 3+ years of combined internal controls, assurance, advisory, consulting or industry experience, preferably within multi-national organizations or professional services firms.  

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience working with IT controls and approved IT and operational standards such as CoBIT, COSO, ITIL, and PCI DSS.  

• Evidence of training or discipline specialization in consumer products industry, diverse sales channels and brands (e.g., Tech, Fraud, Supply Chain, Wholesale, Retail, e-Commerce, Digital, Finance). 

• Professional designations (e.g., CIA, CPA, CISA, CFE, etc.) preferred.