Senior Distribution Center Solutions & Design Engineer

Required to travel 50%-75% across North America, Latin America, & Europe

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization

Global Engineering is a critical enabler of successful, efficient, and future‑ready distribution centers across the adidas Group. The function defines and drives best‑in‑class solutions for distribution center (DC) layout, process design, and automation, while ensuring global standardization and scalability.

The Senior Solution Engineer within Global Engineering plays a key role in shaping and deploying adidas’ global DC engineering strategy. The role drives design standards, supports the introduction of new technologies, benchmarks adidas’ DC solutions against industry leaders, and partners closely with regional engineering teams to ensure consistent, optimized, and cost‑effective DC implementations worldwide.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and continuously improve global standards for DC design, including facility layout, process design, and automation concepts.
• Develop scalable DC design and automation strategies, translating business forecasts and volume scenarios into robust facility and material flow concepts.
• Drive standardization of Material Handling Equipment (MHE), automation solutions, and DC processes across regions.
• Partner with Global Non‑Trade Procurement to define and execute global and regional supplier and technology strategies.
• Lead or support feasibility studies and business cases for new DC builds, expansions, and automation investments.
• Facilitate the introduction of new DC technologies in close collaboration with regional engineering, IT (WMS/WCS/WES), and operations teams.
• Benchmark adidas DC concepts against external best‑in‑class solutions to ensure continuous innovation and competitiveness.
• Act as a technical authority and advisor to regional engineering and DC management during concept design, implementation, and ramp‑up.
• Support capital projects by leading or contributing to engineering and MHE workstreams, from concept through commissioning and handover.
• Contribute to the development of the global engineering community, including best‑practice sharing, documentation, and capability development.
• Identify and evaluate problems and develop improvements to processes, layouts, internal flows, utilization, packaging material usage and methods of operation within a warehouse environment, making fact based recommendations to the lean organization.
• Evaluate Labour Management systems including implementation, configuration, analysis of results and development of recommendations to the DC heads

Key relationships

Internal

• Global Engineering
• Market Engineering teams
• DC Engineering teams
• Distribution Center Management and Operations
• Project Management
• TECH functions
• Global Real Estate / Workspaces
• Finance and Investment Committees
• Project Steering Boards and Executive Sponsors
• Other global functions as required by project scope

External

• Automation and technology suppliers
• Engineering and logistics consultants
• System integrators and solution providers

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Proven experience in distribution center design, covering facility layout, process engineering, automation, and material flow.
  • Ability to translate business forecasts and operational requirements into end‑to‑end DC designs using CAD tools (e.g., AutoCAD).
  • Strong expertise in MHE and automation solutions, including ASRS, goods-to-person, conveyor, sortation systems and advanced automation like AMR, as well as manual DC concepts.
• Broad understanding of end‑to‑end supply‑chain and logistics processes, with deep engineering expertise.
• Excellent analytical, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills.
• Solid understanding of WMS, WCS, and WES architectures and their interaction within automated and manual DC environments.
• Strong background in complex data analysis, capacity modelling, and scenario evaluation in a distribution or supply‑chain context.
• Working knowledge and practical application of Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, 5S, and other continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience with labour management systems, engineering labour standards, and work measurement methodologies.
• Strong project management capabilities, including planning, budgeting, risk management, and execution in complex, multi‑stakeholder environments.
• Ability to influence and present to DC management and middle to senior leadership to drive alignment and informed decision-making.
• Proven capability to mediate between cross functional stakeholders and drive consensus across differing objectives.
• Advanced skills in Excel, PowerPoint, and MS Project, with the ability to build complex, data driven presentations.

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor or Master’s degree in engineering, Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, or Business Administration with a focus on Supply Chain, Logistics, or Distribution Engineering, or equivalent professional experience.
• Extensive experience in consumer goods, retail, or e‑commerce distribution environments, preferably within international networks.
• Demonstrated experience with automated and hybrid DC environments.
• 5 years engineering work experience, ideally in a distribution center environment
• 2 years’ management experience required
• Experience with AutoCAD is preferred
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally on a frequent basis.
• Excellent English language proficiency (written and verbal); additional languages are a strong advantage.

adidas celebrates diversity, supports inclusiveness and encourages individual expression in our workplace. We actively encourage individuals with disabilities to apply and will provide reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. We do not tolerate the harassment or discrimination toward any of our applicants or employees.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

adidas offers robust and progressive medical, including HSA (Health Savings Account) with employer funding or FSA (Flexible Spending Account) options, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, adoption, with surrogate and fertility support, short and long-term disability, and basic life and AD&D insurance, which can be supplemented with employee-paid coverage. Employees are able to enroll in adidas’ 401k plan and Stock Purchase Plan with employer match. Full-time employees are eligible for education assistance and generous Leave policies including 14 weeks of paid parental leave.

Employees are eligible to earn an annual bonus based on both company and personal performance. Employees accrue prorated flexible time off in the amount .4388 hours per day that increases with years of service, twelve paid holidays throughout the calendar year and Service Time Off during milestone years.

At adidas we offer a Hybrid work policy which requires attendance in the office Monday through Thursday, with the flexibility to work remotely on Friday each week. For work requiring a high degree of collaboration or an in-person presentation, in-office attendance is required even on Friday. The working location of this position is Spartanburg, SC.

Though our teammates hail from all corners of the world, our working language is English.