Director of Overseas Manufacturing

Director of Overseas Manufacturing and Quality Chefman | Product Development | Mahwah, NJ About Us Chefman is one of North America's leading brands of small kitchen appliances, committed to building best-in-class products that make cooking accessible and enjoyable. In 2020, we launched CHEF iQ, an ecosystem of connected smart kitchen appliances designed to transform how the world cooks through intuitive guided cooking experiences and IoT-enabled technology. About The Role As Chefman continues to scale, we're looking for a Director of Overseas Manufacturing and Quality to elevate how we partner with our overseas manufacturing network and ensure our growing product portfolio is built with the consistency and precision our customers expect. This is not a desk job. We need a leader who has personally run a factory floor, someone who can walk into an assembly line, spot a process problem before it becomes a quality escape, and work directly with factory teams to fix it. You'll serve as the critical bridge between our design and product development teams here in Mahwah and our manufacturing partners in China, helping ensure that what we design translates seamlessly into what gets built at scale. We're looking for a leader with deep, sustained manufacturing expertise, ideally 10 to 15 years building that expertise with one organization, who is ready to bring that experience to a fast-growing, entrepreneurial consumer brand. This role requires extensive travel to China and a genuine passion for being present where products come to life. Key Responsibilities Lead manufacturing strategy and execution across our overseas partner network, from tooling and assembly process design through high-volume mass productionPartner early and often with Product Development and Industrial Design teams, bringing manufacturing expertise directly into design decisions to support manufacturability, cost efficiency, and quality from day oneChampion consistency and best-practice alignment across factory SOPs, assembly procedures, and quality control standards across all manufacturing partnersMaintain a strong, regular presence on assembly lines, staying close to daily production and building the kind of trusted, collaborative relationships with factory teams that drive continuous improvementBuild and maintain rigorous reporting and documentation systems that give leadership clear visibility into yield, quality performance, and production trends across all partner sitesLead structured root-cause investigations (8D, 5-Why, Fishbone) when quality or performance opportunities arise, partnering closely with factory teams to implement durable, lasting solutionsServe as the senior point of contact for resolving complex production challenges, balancing quality, cost, and delivery prioritiesBuild and develop a team of manufacturing and quality engineers to support the company's growing production needsEvaluate and help develop new manufacturing partnerships and capacity as the business scalesOwn the manufacturing cost and efficiency relationship, driving continuous improvement in profitability alongside quality Qualifications 10-15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, ideally with significant tenure at a single organization producing consumer electronics, small appliances, or similar consumer hardware productsDirect, hands-on experience running or closely overseeing factory floor operationsA demonstrated track record of driving measurable improvements to product quality, yield, and profitability through close factory partnershipDeep, working-level understanding of injection molding, sheet metal, electromechanical assembly, and tooling processes, built through genuine hands-on experienceStrong background in structured root-cause problem solving and driving continuous improvement initiatives with manufacturing partnersExperience developing and aligning SOPs and best practices across multiple factory sitesA natural inclination to stay close to product design conversations and offer manufacturing perspective early in the processStrong reporting and documentation disciplineWillingness and ability to travel extensively to China, including extended stays as neededA career history reflecting deep, sustained expertise built over timeBachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related fieldMandarin fluency strongly preferredExperience with connected/IoT consumer products is a strong plus What We Offer The opportunity to lead manufacturing strategy for one of North America's fastest-growing kitchen appliance brands, with direct, visible impact on products used by millions of home cooksA senior leadership seat where your expertise directly shapes both product quality and company growthRelocation assistance to the Mahwah, NJ areaPotential sign-on bonusCompetitive compensation, international travel support, and the opportunity to build and lead a growing team Salary Range: Commensurate with experience The base salary range for this role is provided below. Compensation is determined based on job-related factors such as experience, skills, and internal equity, in accordance with New Jersey pay transparency requirements. New Jersey pay range $165,000 - $195,000 USD