Role

China-based Supply Chain Coordinator working with an 8-figure DTC brand scaling aggressively into Q4 2026. Reports to our Supply Chain Lead (based in Europe). This person is our on-the-ground representative in China — the bridge between our business and our factories.

This is not a QC inspector role. QC can be outsourced through agencies as volume requires. This role is about supply chain coordination, factory relationship management, production oversight, and quality standard enforcement — not daily inspection of every drum.

Job requirements

About the Company

We are a fast-growing consumer hardware brand selling musical instruments globally, operating primarily through DTC (Shopify) and Amazon. Q4 represents the majority of our annual revenue. We're a 4 year old company, the biggest seller in the world of steel tongue drums, growing at a 3-5x year-over-year pace.

Current production scale:

4 active factories in China producing steel tongue drums in 3 sizes (6", 10", 14")
Year-round production cycle with heavy ramp April–October for Q4 holiday

Factory network:

Factory 1 (Guangdong) — main factory, best quality, only factory approved for Amazon
Factory 2 (Wenzhou) — secondary factory, operational, expanding allocation
Factory 3 (Guangdong) — newer factory, quality ramp-up in progress
Factory 4 (Shandong) — newest factory, molds completed, ramping

What This Person Actually Does

Factory relationship management

Primary point of contact for all factories on day-to-day execution
Conducts regular factory visits (physical presence on factory floors)
Builds direct relationships with factory production leads and owners
Translates operational requirements between our Supply Chain Lead and Chinese factories

Production oversight and quality standard enforcement

Monitors production progress against agreed timelines
Enforces our quality standards — doesn't do inspection themselves (that's outsourced to QC agencies when needed), but defines what QC agencies should check for, reviews their reports, and escalates issues
Investigates quality incidents, identifies root causes, drives corrective action plans with factories
Maintains and evolves our quality acceptance criteria across sound quality, paint/finish, packaging, and accessories

Supply chain coordination

Tracks PO status from factories through shipping to intermediary warehouse
Coordinates container loading and inbound logistics
Manages accessory sourcing logistics (drum bags, mallets, music books, etc.)
Flags delays, capacity constraints, or supply issues before they become crises

Commercial discipline and cost validation

Validates pricing on POs against contracted rates
Supports negotiation of new pricing, payment terms, MOQs with factory owners
Flags anomalies in invoicing proactively — not reactively

New product development support

Coordinates sample requests, prototype iterations, and new SKU launches across factories
Works with our product team on packaging, accessory specifications, and product improvements

Talent Profile We're Looking For

Industry background: Consumer hardware manufacturing experience is essential — Anker, DJI, JBL, Sonos, Bose, Harman, Xiaomi hardware ecosystem, Yamaha/Roland/similar musical instrument brands, or similar consumer goods with physical product QC depth

Experience level:

5–8 years in factory-facing roles: supply chain, vendor management, supplier quality, sourcing, or procurement
Has personally spent significant time on factory floors (not exclusively office-based)
Has managed multiple factory relationships simultaneously (not single-factory specialist)
Has dealt with production ramps, quality escalations, capacity constraints in past roles

Location:

Guangdong province preferred (Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou)
Must be willing and able to travel regularly across factories
Not based outside China

Language:

Native Mandarin
Working professional English (written and spoken) — can handle email, Slack, and video calls with our international team independently
English proficiency is non-negotiable — this role is the communication bridge between our factories and our HQ

Skills and mindset:

Commercial awareness — understands that our factories have profit motives that don't always align with ours, and can spot it
Systems thinking — can see the end-to-end supply chain, not just task-level execution
Logical problem-solving — can trace issues to root cause, not just report symptoms
Direct communicator — comfortable pushing back on factories when needed, but diplomatic
Pattern recognition — spots anomalies in data, pricing, or communication that others miss
Execution orientation — moves fast on factory issues, doesn't wait for permission on routine problems

Cultural/fit signals we prioritize:

Proactive rather than reactive — flags problems before being asked
Writes and communicates with clarity and brevity
Strong professional reputation (we'll verify references)

Additional Details

Significant factory travel, fully paid (flights + hotels). You'll be on the road regularly during peak
You'll also organize and host visits for our team in China, 2-4 times a year
Flexible schedule and work-from-home base between trips — how and when you work is up to you, as long as it ships

Who you'll work with

A young, hungry team building the category leader
Colleagues from all over the world — you'll meet and work with people across the globe

China Supply Chain Coordinator