Director of Asia Technical & Engineering Operations (China and India)
About our client:
Our client is an international lighting company based in Europe, known for producing stylish, affordable, and energyefficient lighting. It offers a wide range of contemporary indoor and outdoor fixtures and operates globally with manufacturing and distribution centers across Europe and Asia.
About the role:
This role leads global, regional, and local New Product Introductions (NPI) and drives operational synergies between its India and China operations.
- Responsibilities include overseeing product development, mechanical and electronic engineering, production control, project management, quality, testing, and documentation to ensure accurate and timely delivery of product specifications, schedules, costs, and targets.
- Supports organizational governance through cycleplan execution, process alignment, and the development of streamlined Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The role ensures profitability, business growth, and operational excellence while maintaining strong collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
- The role requires frequent travel to India to support the key responsibilities.
Key Responsibilities:
Production:
- Monitor existing production companies and develop new production plans, reporting systems, and technologies to ensure stable delivery for current and potential customers, including backup plans for major risks.
- Implement and optimize a comprehensive management system across all production plants to maintain a stable and competitive delivery environment for the Project Group.
- Oversee and enhance the current quality and production systems, including analyzing all work and production processes to identify opportunities for improvement and optimization.
- Establish time studies and timemanagement systems for each production step.
- Ensure production targets are met in terms of quantity, quality, and value.
- Continuously identify costsaving opportunities to maintain competitive production compared with other companies across Asia.
- Train and develop the production team to enhance professionalism and performance.
- Continuously seek new and improved technical production solutions to uphold high quality standards.
- Search for new component suppliers, particularly within China and Asia.
- Collaborate on production quality management, including incoming material inspection, inprocess and outgoing quality control, and supplier audits.
Product Development:
- Plan, manage, and implement development projects for new products and product modifications.
- Collaborate closely with international R&D and design teams to ensure technical feasibility and market alignment.
- Assess and introduce new technologies, materials, and manufacturing processes.
Project Management:
- Take full responsibility for the ontime and costeffective execution of new product development projects.
- Develop and manage project schedules, budgets, and resource allocation.
- Coordinate with Production, Procurement, Quality, and Sales to ensure smooth project execution.
Technical Leadership:
- Provide technical and organizational leadership to the engineering and technical teams within the production companies.
- Mentor and develop team members to strengthen technical expertise and problemsolving capabilities.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Quality Assurance:
- Ensure compliance with company and customer quality standards.
- Analyze production and development processes to identify improvement opportunities.
- Collaborate on production quality management, including incoming material inspection, inprocess and outgoing quality control, and supplier audits.
- Support technical audits, validations, and customer inspections.
Requirements:
- An analytical, resultsoriented leader with strong technical expertise in product development, testing, quality assurance, data analysis, and manufacturing.
- Responsible for designing and executing strategies, platforms, and tools that support business objectives by solving technical challenges, optimizing processes, and driving continuous improvement.
Qualifications and Experience:
- Bachelor's degree in Production, Manufacturing, Mechanical, Industrial Engineering, or related disciplines
- At least 10 years of managerial experience in the lighting manufacturing industry or other electronics industries
- Strong experience in lighting production and solid knowledge of manufacturing techniques for lighting products is an added advantage
- Selfmotivated, independent, with strong conceptual and analytical skills, and able to work under pressure
- Good command of English; the ability to speak and read Chinese is an advantage
- Proven leadership experience managing technical teams in the lighting sector or other electronic manufacturing sectors
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to deliver technical presentations and reports to diverse audiences
- Familiarity with lighting industry regulations and safety standards is an advantage
Benefits:
- Competitive salary and benefits package
- Opportunities for professional development and training
- Dynamic work environment with a strong focus on innovation and technology
