Engineering Project Manager – China

Overview

Job Title: Engineering Project Manager – China
Role Type: Permanent (Full Time)
Responsible to: Head of Engineering  

The Role

This role is critical to delivering quality and will be central in shaping our long term technical focus.  This position is the linchpin between our UK based engineers and Chinese manufacturing to deliver Body Worn Video cameras and accessories ready for high volume ramp.

You will travel frequently and be working onsite at supply partners and as such be the face of the company to these partners.  You will be fluent in both English and Mandarin enabling you to provide clear and consistent communication and prioritisation.  

You will have wide perspective to listen and influence across many cross functional teams, not only communicating issues but also finding solutions (and backup plans) that keep programs on track and reduce risk. You will manage risk smartly and know how and where to pull in help.

Key responsibilities of the role are to:

• Drive module build readiness. Ensure suppliers complete required build documentation, planning, materials, and equipment
• Manage builds and coach suppliers to provide credible reports of build data
• Facilitate clear and accurate communications across distributed teams including engineers in China and UK, supplier engineers, materials planners
• Participate and contribute to regular team conference calls. Prepare agendas and host meetings when needed. Publish notes and action items
• Proactively understand top issues, report status regularly and when needed, escalate when needed
• Understand PO and payment processes, authorize payments for development builds and related engineering activity
• Communicate and coordinate activities across internal and external teams: camera design, mechanical design, optics, process, and test engineering; system EPM; reliability engineering; operations and quality; global supply management and finance
• Strengthen capabilities of suppliers. Primary coverage is new suppliers and design / development build capabilities. Methods include coaching and filling of resource gaps.
• Identify and realise measures for yield improvement, test optimisation and product cost-ability methods
• Define the yield road map and drive the fulfillment during ramp-up and volume production
• Validate designs by inspecting pre-production components and testing prototype and pre-production products against their original specification.
• Assist the QA department in identifying the necessary checks that will ensure quality throughout the life of new products.
• Provide technical support to other departments, whenever necessary. This may include troubleshooting, investigating returned products and considering alternative parts/suppliers etc.
• Retrospectively document existing products
• Apply sound engineering principles to technical problems alongside applying a comprehensive understanding of high-volume manufacturing processes and materials to optimise designs

About you

Essential experience and skills

• Experience managing consumer electronic projects through the full development life cycle especially manufacturing
• 8+ years of work experience in project management with a successful track record
• You will be fluent in both English and Mandarin.  Both verbal and written
• A degree-level technical qualification, probably Electronic or Mechanical Engineering.  It is likely that you will be comfortable in both but will ideally have a bias towards electronics.
• Exceptional listening and presentation skills. Able to communicate clearly with all levels internally and externally, can produce executive summaries or technical details when needed
• Experience driving OEM/ODM/EMS partners and high volume production and test
• Able to travel frequently to support builds and management reviews at supplier factory sites
• Familiarity with a range of processes and development techniques including plastic moulding, metal forming, mechanisms and complex assemblies.
• Able to adopt a hands-on approach as and when the project requires
• You may have previously been in a programme manager or sourcing manager

Desirable experience and skills (advantageous but not required)

• A passion for consumer electronic products and ideally prior experience with portable outdoor products
• Familiarity with CMOS image sensors and SOCs
• Knowledge of cameras, optics, and lenses
• Knowledge of semiconductor package process technologies and equipment
• Ability to read mechanical design drawings and tolerances
• Ability to read circuit designs and multilayer layouts
• Fluency in the tools of quality assurance, control plans, distributions, etc.
• Camera, phone, or other electronics test development
• Camera design, development or project management experience
• Mobile phone system design; specifically system integration and manufacturing experience

What we offer

Your reward will be a competitive remuneration package and the chance to work in an exciting, high-growth business where your efforts will be recognised, owning and building channels that will drive the business to the next level.

Interview Process:

1st round Skype interview with HR

2nd round Skype interview with Head of Engineering

3rd round face to face interview in Shenzhen

Location: Shenzhen

Start date: ASAP