MPM

Location: Shenzhen or Shanghai

Role Overview

The Materials Program Manager (MPM) is the business owner responsible for managing the financial, material readiness, and supply chain execution of custom hardware programs across the product lifecycle—from development through end-of-life. This role drives program cost models (BOM, MVA, Tooling, NRE), ensures material readiness for NPI and production builds, and owns supplier performance across key modules and final assemblies. The MPM partners closely with engineering, operations, procurement, finance, and third-party manufacturers to deliver programs on time, within budget, and aligned with financial targets. The MPM serves as the business voice of the product—capturing, documenting, and communicating financial exposures, material risks, and cost deltas to leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Program Financial Ownership

• Develop and manage fully loaded cost models (BOM + MVA + Tooling + NRE).
• Set and track commodity-level cost and schedule targets.
• Monitor actual vs. target program cost, identify deltas, and drive corrective actions.
• Support weekly executive product reviews with financial and milestone reporting.
• Drive purchase price negotiations and cost-down initiatives to meet program goals.
• Manage purchase price variance (PPV) claims and cost impacts from engineering changes, obsolescence, or forecast variances.

Material Readiness & Execution

• Ensure timely procurement and delivery of materials to support NPI and mass production builds.
• Validate Clear-to-Build (CTB) status and proactively identify material gaps.
• Align quickly with suppliers to confirm material availability and escalate risks early.
• Raise purchase orders in  systems, follow through on payment releases, and negotiate payment terms.
• Conduct physical material verification and raw material audits at supplier factories when required.
• Identify and resolve supply-demand imbalances with minimal executive escalations.

Supplier Management & Factory Engagement

• Act as business owner for major supplier relationships across key modules and final assembly.
• Drive SOW and contract negotiations with third-party manufacturers.
• Visit supplier factories (as required) to review sourcing strategy, production readiness, and material status.
• Validate supplier sourcing practices and material traceability.
• Manage schedule risks related to material shortages or engineering changes.

Cross-Functional Program Leadership

• Partner with engineering to understand cost implications of design and process changes.
• Lead and participate in New Product Introduction (NPI) meetings.
• Coordinate across global operations, manufacturing, transportation, procurement, and finance teams.
• Drive detailed cost reduction forecasts in partnership with supply chain and operations teams.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in supply chain, materials planning, procurement, or program management.
• 3+ years of experience coordinating cross-functional teams including manufacturing, procurement, logistics, and engineering.
• 3+ years of experience analyzing supply-demand imbalances and driving resolution.
• Experience in procurement of mechanical and electronic components including:
• PCBAs and PCBs
• Electronic components
• Cables and harnesses
• Mechanical hardware
• Experience raising Purchase Orders and managing supplier payment processes.
• Strong ability to interpret BOMs and assess material readiness.
• Ability and willingness to travel to supplier factories (domestic and international as required).
• Excellent English communication skills and interactions with suppliers and customers, both written and verbal

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing hardware NPI programs.
• Experience working with contract manufacturers and global suppliers.
• Familiarity with cost modeling including BOM, MVA, Tooling, and NRE structures.