China Operations & Product Development Manager

China Operations & Product Development Manager Location: Marbella, Spain. Applicants must already live within commuting distance of Marbella. Language Requirement: Fluent English and fluent Mandarin Chinese or Cantonese are essential. Applicants who cannot communicate fluently in Chinese will not be considered. Working Arrangement: Hybrid, combining home-based working with regular in-person meetings in Marbella. Contract Type: Self-employed / Independent Contractor Compensation: €50,000 per annum, with an annual performance and remuneration review. About POLAR POLAR is a growing manufacturer of specialist coatings and home improvement products, supplying customers through multiple online and retail channels. Our product portfolio includes paints, spray paints, sealers, tapes and related home improvement products. We currently manage approximately 210 SKUs and are continually investing in product innovation, quality and operational improvement. As the business grows, we are bringing our China sourcing and manufacturing operations in-house. This role will become the primary link between POLAR and our manufacturing partners in mainland China. We are looking for someone who is commercially minded, highly organised and capable of independently managing supplier relationships while driving product development, quality assurance and continuous improvement. This is not an administrative, translation or purchasing role. The successful candidate will act as an extension of POLAR’s leadership team, representing the business with our manufacturing partners and taking ownership of a critical area of our operations. The Opportunity As China Operations & Product Development Manager, you will own the day-to-day relationship with our manufacturing partners in mainland China. You will act as the central point of communication between our suppliers and the wider business, managing supplier performance, product development, quality assurance, production issues and strategic sourcing. Working directly with the Founder and alongside our Head of Supply Chain, you will help transform product ideas into commercially successful, production-ready products. You will also oversee and improve our existing product portfolio, ensuring our products consistently meet the required standards for performance, quality, packaging and value. This is a highly autonomous position suited to someone who is proactive, commercially aware, solutions-focused and confident making decisions independently. Key ResponsibilitiesSupplier Relationship Management • Act as POLAR’s primary point of contact for manufacturing partners in mainland China. • Manage supplier communications fluently in English and Mandarin Chinese or Cantonese. • Build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with suppliers and factory management. • Represent POLAR’s commercial, operational and quality expectations with suppliers. • Resolve production, manufacturing, communication and quality issues quickly and professionally. • Negotiate pricing, lead times, payment terms, minimum order quantities and other commercial terms. • Monitor supplier performance and implement improvement plans where required. • Identify risks within supplier relationships and escalate them before they affect the business. • Continually identify opportunities to improve quality, efficiency, reliability and cost. Product Development • Manage new product development from initial concept through to production. • Turn ideas provided by the Founder or wider business into structured product development projects. • Identify and evaluate suitable factories for new product ideas. • Obtain quotations and compare manufacturing options. • Negotiate pricing, minimum order quantities, tooling costs and development terms. • Coordinate product samples, revisions, testing and final approvals. • Manage tooling requirements and production readiness. • Work with factories to improve product performance, usability and manufacturability. • Coordinate packaging development and packaging improvements. • Ensure new products are commercially and operationally ready for launch. • Maintain clear records of product specifications, samples, quotations and agreed changes. Quality Assurance and Product Performance • Review and approve production samples before manufacture. • Inspect or coordinate the inspection of products and shipments. • Arrange independent third-party quality inspections where required. • Arrange independent product and laboratory testing to validate performance claims. • Coordinate testing for factors such as product coverage, durability, adhesion, application performance and other relevant product characteristics. • Review and improve packaging quality, construction and presentation. • Monitor manufacturing consistency across approximately 210 SKUs. • Investigate product defects, customer complaints and recurring quality issues. • Work with suppliers to identify root causes and implement corrective actions. • Ensure agreed improvements are applied consistently to future production. • Establish and maintain clear quality control standards across the product portfolio. Strategic Sourcing • Source new manufacturers for new product development. • Identify and qualify backup suppliers for existing products. • Build a network of alternative manufacturers across key product categories. • Research new manufacturing capabilities, technologies, materials and product opportunities. • Benchmark suppliers based on quality, pricing, capacity, reliability, lead times and communication. • Reduce dependency on individual factories through proactive supplier diversification. • Protect the business from supply disruption by ensuring contingency options are available. • Continually seek improved commercial value without compromising product quality. Internal Collaboration You will work closely with the Founder and Head of Supply Chain to ensure that supplier and manufacturing activity remains aligned with the wider business. The Head of Supply Chain will retain responsibility for placing purchase orders, while you will manage the supplier relationships, product development, factory communication and issue resolution required to support those orders. Your internal responsibilities will include supporting: • Production planning. • Purchase order execution. • Supplier communication. • Product launches. • Packaging development and improvements. • Product specification management. • Cost reduction initiatives. • Quality control. • Supply chain continuity. • Product innovation projects. • Resolution of delays, defects and production issues. • Continuous improvement across the manufacturing network. Travel Occasional international travel to mainland China will be required on request and as the needs of the business dictate. Travel may include accompanying the Founder on supplier visits, factory meetings, product development reviews, quality inspections and negotiations. Applicants must therefore be willing and able to travel internationally when required. About You We are looking for someone who enjoys building supplier relationships, solving problems and taking ownership. You will be comfortable representing POLAR with senior factory management, negotiating commercial terms, managing multiple projects and working with minimal supervision. You must have: • Fluent spoken and written English. • Fluent spoken and written Mandarin Chinese or Cantonese. • Experience working directly with Chinese manufacturers or suppliers. • Strong commercial and supplier negotiation skills. • Experience managing supplier relationships. • Experience sourcing products or manufacturing partners. • Experience overseeing product development from concept through to production. • Strong organisational and project management skills. • Excellent attention to detail. • The ability to manage multiple products and development projects simultaneously. • A proactive and solutions-focused approach. • The confidence to challenge suppliers and hold them accountable. • The ability to work independently while collaborating closely with the Founder and wider team. • The ability to attend regular in-person meetings in Marbella. • The willingness to travel to mainland China when required. Experience working for a sourcing agency, manufacturer, e-commerce business or consumer product company would be advantageous. Experience within paints, coatings, spray paints, construction materials, tapes or home improvement products would also be beneficial, but is not essential. What Success Looks Like Within your first 12 months, you will have: • Become POLAR’s trusted representative for its Chinese manufacturing partners. • Taken ownership of day-to-day communication with our suppliers. • Built strong, collaborative relationships with factory management. • Improved the speed and clarity of communication between POLAR and its suppliers. • Successfully managed multiple new products from concept through to production. • Improved product quality, consistency and packaging standards. • Established effective independent testing and quality assurance processes. • Qualified alternative suppliers across key product categories. • Reduced the business’s dependency on individual factories. • Helped resolve production and quality issues more quickly. • Delivered measurable improvements in supplier performance, lead times and commercial value. • Helped build a scalable manufacturing operation capable of supporting POLAR’s long-term growth. Why Join POLAR? This is an opportunity to build and lead POLAR’s China operations at a strategic level. You will work directly with the Founder, have genuine influence over product development and manufacturing decisions, and play a central role in shaping the future of a growing international consumer brand. The role offers significant autonomy, responsibility and the opportunity to build an important business function from the ground up. We are looking for someone who wants more than a traditional sourcing or procurement role. We are looking for someone who wants ownership, influence and the opportunity to make a measurable commercial impact. Please note that applicants must already be based in Marbella or within reasonable commuting distance. Fluent English and fluent Mandarin Chinese or Cantonese are mandatory requirements. Applications from candidates who do not meet both the location and language requirements will not be considered. Job Type: Full-time Pay: 50,000.00€ - 60,000.00€ per year Work Location: Hybrid remote in Marbella, Málaga provincia (Marbella)