International Vendor Manager - Mandarin Speaking, (Remote, USA) - Apex Wheels
Do you enjoy creating win-win situations that strengthen relationships? Do you speak Mandarin, and want to be a key problem solver within an organization?
Responsibilities
- Lead morning or early evening group calls to check in with vendors and solve problems.
- Maintain timely, clear, and thorough communication with all suppliers, tracking all deliverables due for both sides.
- Own vendor relationships and proactively follow up with suppliers for their deliverables to ensure production objectives are not delayed by any supplier-side disorganization.
- Manage supplier contracts and pricing negotiations. Help onboard new suppliers and improve contracts and standards with existing suppliers.
- Hold vendors accountable by improving contract language and following up on all issues and credits until they’re resolved/paid. Reduce product issues by pushing each vendor to improve quality control. Own each problem and work with vendors and various department heads to catch issues and find solutions. Chase vendors down for compensation for errors and implement solutions to prevent repeats.
- Improve our current processes and results using APICS or another similar methodology. Establish department-level KPIs in alignment with organizational goals.
- Project manage team’s deliverables for better clarity and delegation. Use software tools to stay well organized. Prioritize projects and issues in line with Apex's goals and strategy.
- Act as a liaison to Engineering, Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, and fulfillment teams to ensure that information is being disseminated to relevant team members and the factory. Support engineering by keeping your finger on the pulse around run-rates of molds and provide for future projects.
- Eventually you may participate in people-management from hiring to termination. Conduct performance evaluations and provide consistent and regular feedback (we like Radical Candor) both verbally and through Employee Engagement software. Provide coaching and mentoring to team members in pursuit of their Objectives and Key Results, and help them course correct when necessary.
Requirements
- Excellent English written and verbal communication skills.
- Excellent Mandarin verbal skills required, but reading/writing skills is an optional plus
- A bachelors degree in Supply Chain Management, Materials Management, Business or another relevant area is highly preferred.
- APICS certification or similar supply chain certification is preferred.
- 5+ years experience in purchasing, production and manufacturing with significant responsibilities related to vendor management.
- 5+ years experience managing relationships with Mandarin speaking contract manufacturers is required.
- 3+ years of experience managing vendor relationships where products are single or dual-sourced.
- Ability to travel up to 15%, domestic and international.
- Detail-oriented and a proclivity towards analytical and critical thinking.
- Proficiency in ERP systems (such as Netsuite) and forecasting software is a plus
- Slack, Gmail experience preferred.
- Project Management experience and the use of PM software is a plus (Click-Up).
- Car enthusiasts get bonus points
Benefits
- Compensation: Full-time, salaried exempt, position $100K - 130K total comp depending on location and experience.
- Medical Benefits: We cover 100% of monthly premiums for employees and their dependents under the age of 14 on our base plans and geneous contributions towards premiums for your other dependents. Plus, we have a wide variety of other medical plans, so you can contribute to a more robust plan if it suits your needs. Several plans include access to an HSA account!
- Dental and Vision: We cover 100% of the monthly premiums for employees on our base plans, plus affordable buy up options including orthodontic coverage.
- 401(k) with Company Match: We make generous matching contributions after 6 months of full-time employment.
- Paid Time Off: Vacation begins accruing immediately, increasing over time and with career growth. Sick leave accrues beginning on your first day. Enjoy 11 paid holidays including Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
- Track-Day Reimbursements: Support your track addiction with reimbursements for HPDE, autocross event registration fees, and more.
- Employee Discounts: Get employee discounts and freebies on Apex products and swag (did we mention friends and family discounts?).
- Work Remote: Work remotely from your home, anywhere in the contiguous US.
- Casual Environment: Casual in-office dress environment where T-shirts, jeans, and shorts are welcome. Participate in company activities including karting, spectating at races, sim racing, and more.
About the work environment
While performing the duties of this job, you will be regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear, reach, stoop, kneel, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer, telephone, and keyboard. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work. Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period. Light lifting may be required. Occasional travel, domestic and international, is estimated to be about 15% of the time. Regular, predictable attendance is required. You’ll have a high degree of control over your working environment, as you’ll be primarily working from your home-office.
