Production Manager

Production Manager – Australia / Hong Kong

Location: Australia or Hong Kong (preferred)
Travel: Frequent travel to manufacturing facilities in China (approximately 30–50%)
Reports To: Director of Production, USA

Position Summary

The Production Manager is responsible for overseeing day-to-day manufacturing operations across our China-based factory partners, ensuring products are delivered on time, within budget, and to the company's quality standards.

This role serves as the primary production representative in the Asia-Pacific region, maintaining close relationships with manufacturing partners while providing consistent communication, reporting, and operational updates to the Director of Production in the United States.

The successful candidate will be highly organized, commercially minded, and experienced in managing overseas manufacturing, supplier relationships, production schedules, and quality standards.

Key Responsibilities

Production Management

• Manage end-to-end production activities across assigned manufacturing partners in China.
• Monitor production schedules to ensure customer delivery deadlines are achieved.
• Identify production risks, bottlenecks, and delays, implementing corrective actions where required.
• Ensure factory capacity aligns with business demand and forecast requirements.
• Conduct regular factory visits to monitor production progress and strengthen supplier relationships.

Factory Relationship Management

• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with factory management and key production personnel.
• Act as the primary liaison between the company's U.S. Production team and manufacturing partners.
• Drive accountability for quality, timelines, productivity, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support supplier performance reviews and corrective action plans.

Communication & Reporting

• Maintain frequent communication with the Director of Production in the USA regarding:
  • Production status
  • Capacity planning
  • Manufacturing issues
  • Delivery timelines
  • Quality concerns
  • Supply chain risks
• Prepare weekly production reports and KPI dashboards.
• Escalate issues promptly and provide recommended solutions.

Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Partner with Quality teams to ensure products meet company specifications and quality standards.
• Support root cause analysis and corrective actions for production or quality issues.
• Identify opportunities to improve manufacturing efficiency, cost, and operational performance.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Product Development, Sourcing, Logistics, and Supply Chain teams to ensure seamless product launches and production execution.
• Coordinate production priorities with U.S.-based leadership.
• Support new product introductions and manufacturing transitions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years' experience in production, manufacturing, sourcing, or supply chain management.
• Experience managing contract manufacturers or factories in China.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, production planning, and quality systems.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively across multiple cultures and time zones.
• Fluent English required; Mandarin is highly desirable.

Travel Requirements

• Frequent travel throughout China to manufacturing facilities.
• Occasional travel to the United States for planning meetings and business reviews.

Key Competencies

• Production Planning
• Factory Management
• Supplier Relationship Management
• Manufacturing Operations
• Supply Chain Coordination
• Quality Assurance
• Production Scheduling
• Risk Management
• Continuous Improvement
• Cross-Cultural Communication
• Stakeholder Management
• Reporting & KPI Analysis