Production Development Specialist

Way beyond a simple consulting firm, Source of Asia is an international business accelerator. In simple words, we enable our customers to explore, operate and grow business in Vietnam, across ASEAN, and further afield. We thrive on challenges, permanently motivated to learn and grow along the way. We believe success lies in the human relationships we build. This dynamic environment is the ideal gateway for talents, who believe, like we do, in sustainable growth. Our fast-growing company is permanently looking for new talents.

The following job description pertains to an external position that we are currently hiring for on behalf of our client. Submit your application today!

- Position Overview:  

+ This is a hands-on, supplier quality role focused on compression-molded rubber outsoles. The position serves as a critical link between the company, its suppliers, and customers to ensure product quality, manufacturing readiness, and successful new product launches. 

+ The role is heavily operational and field-based rather than purely office-based. You will spend significant time at supplier factories, conducting audits, resolving quality issues, validating products, and driving continuous improvement throughout the entire product lifecycle. 

- Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

+ Provide onsite support during factory qualification, pilot builds, and initial production to ensure product quality and manufacturing readiness. 

+ Own final product quality validation for finished footwear and outsoles prior to production scale. 

+ Lead suppliers claim resolution including defect disputes, financial recovery, and replacement negotiations. 

+ Work closely with sourcing and engineering on supplier development and new product introductions ensuring suppliers can meet requirements. 

+ Promotes the use of process development and controls (i.e. PFMEA, Control Plans, Preventative Actions, PPAP, FAI). 

+ Provides recommendations to technical team for updates to our locked work instructions for adjustments that optimize processability and quality adherence. 

+ Ensure locked work instructions are adhered to by various factories and report any variance to both the factory and the company for follow-up. 

+ Interfaces between the technical team and the customer on quality issues and actively participates in failure analysis and corrective action efforts. 

+ Requires frequent travel to suppliers to understand their processes and controls, verify controls are executed as planned, and communicate issues encountered by the company and work directly with the supplier to improve processes and material quality. 

+ Owns all aspects of proactive and reactive quality throughout the product lifecycle. 

+ Leads problem definition and reactive problem solving through containment, identification of root cause and corrective action with SCAR (Supplier Corrective Action Report). 

+ Manages customer factory onboarding process and lead all functional participation for customer launch of new products. 

+ Collaborates with customer’s production team to identify areas for cost reduction including customer production process, quality improvements, Variable Cost Productivity (VCP) and material usage. 

+ Heavy travel (50%+) across Southeast Asia including Vietnam and China.  

- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field preferred .

- 8-10 years of Quality and/or Technical experience in compression molded rubber products, footwear industry preferred 

- Hands-on experience with ISO 9001, IATF16949 or equivalent quality management systems and tools. 

- Hands on experience on customer capability assessment, qualification, audit and management. 

- Strong project management skills are required. 

- Demonstrated ability to independently develop, manage and implement project plans both globally and domestically. 

- Skilled and experienced with reading and understanding prints, specifications, dimensions and tolerances.  

- Ability to develop cost models for products made at the factory. 

- Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally. 

- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. 

- Ability to fluently communicate in English (written and oral) and Vietnamese required. 

- Ability to communicate in Chinese (Mandarin and / or Cantonese) preferred. 

- Competitive salary package commensurate with experience and qualifications.

- Opportunities for professional growth and development within a dynamic team environment.

- Comprehensive training and support are provided to enhance technical skills and knowledge.

- Access to cutting-edge tools and software to support job responsibilities.

- Other employee benefits follow company policies.