Expertise: Asia, Europe, China, International, Lean Distribution, Lean Supply Chain, Lean Logistics, Lean Supplier Development, Lean Operations Planning, Lean Manufacturing, Lean Sales

Client: (Confidential) High-Tech Consumer Electronic Products

Start: Immediate

Location: Cupertino, (Silicon Valley), California

Comp: Excellent first year total package includes base salary, significant sign-on bonus, and equity (stock) award

Position Overview

Global travel, complex distribution and customer service solutions, supply chain and supplier development activities, sales and operations planning; and a piece of the action (equity)…

Our client is an immensely creative and innovative research and development company which just seems to come up with brilliant ideas for some of the neatest high-tech electronic gadgets on planet Earth. You already know who they are, though you may not know them by name. Why not give some thought to joining the team?

The company designs and engineers high-profile, portable, hand-held consumer electronics products which are known and loved pretty much everywhere. Why? Because they have a whole bunch of very smart and dedicated people on board who love the excitement of thinking cutting-edge thoughts and doing leading-edge work.

Now, it so happens that these folks also do an excellent job of listening to their customers and then translating customer wishes and dreams into real-world, useful technology. Then they wow the world by delivering this technology in packages that demonstrate real value because they’re fun, easy-to-use and highly-reliable. That’s why.

The company’s rapid growth globally has created the need for one or two especially talented Lean practitioners to jump into vital and visible value stream improvement roles. Is it possible that you could be that right person, at the right time and in the right place? If you’re already smart, inspired and Lean, well, why not give it a shot? Find out more…

Position Detail – The Role

•Act as lead change-agent, systematically driving continuous improvement (CI) throughout the organization and its global logistics and distribution/fulfillment organization, or supply chain and supplier development group, or operations planning units

•Champion cross-functional CI initiatives and projects within warehousing and fulfillment facilities and contractors, finished product flow, customer direct-ship systems, customer service & response processes; or similar Lean focus within the supply chain or operations planning groups

•Identify what’s necessary to influence, lead and sustain company-wide Lean culture transformation – and do it

You

• Have demonstrated strong leadership skills in at least one or two previous hands-on roles as a successful Lean champion
• Thoroughly enjoy dealing with fast-paced, challenging and often “impossible” situations, and thrive on solving them
• Effectively manage multiple complex ideas, issues and initiatives simultaneously, and consistently deliver over and above expectations
• Earned a BS/BA in engineering or other technical field, and most likely added an MA/MBA

Travel – you should expect to travel as necessary, between the US and Europe, the UK and Asia, as well as domestically

Compensation – Excellent base salary, sign-on bonus and equity award at sign-on and subsequently in future.

Other - We’re particularly interested in Lean executives with experience in environments such as consumer electronics, telecommunications, portable electronics, mobile electronics, hand-held devices, and similar. So, it’s probable that alumni of Microsoft (Xbox?); Sony; Dell; HP; Cisco; Intel; Flextronics; Nokia; Motorola; RIM, and those countless other dedicated organizations driving Lean transformations throughout their global operations, might be a perfect fit. Obviously, a Toyota Production System background with consumer electronics experience would be an ideal combination. And of course, if your resume demonstrates successes at Lean innovators such as Toyota, NUMMI, Danaher, United Technologies, and – well you get the picture – all the better. You know who you are.

Also, we have a strong interest in individuals who have earned the LFM – LGO (Leaders for Manufacturing, now called Leaders for Global Operations) degree at MIT, or similar top educational institution.

Connect with Us – Please connect with me in whatever way is most convenient for you. We share no information about you with anyone outside our firm until we’ve agreed on this with you. So email me directly and tell me why you are the Rock Star of Lean. I’ll get right back to you ASAP!

Tell your friends.

Adam Zak, CEO – Adam Zak Executive Search +1 (847) 304-5301 direct resume@LeanRecruiter.com

Amazing Amazon Kindle

Why You Want this Position   (and here’s where you can respond…)

• You crave the excitement of working with the visionary team which created the hottest consumer electronics gadget of the century. And, there’s more to come!
• You are obsessed with excellence and quality. This company is already attaining a level of world-class quality metrics that other consumer electronics makers would die for. Your mission: take your passion for quality and make it even better!
• You thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial start-up environment where your daily decisions make a direct, clearly visible impact on the operational and financial performance of the company. You relentlessly pursue your personal and professional expectations for performance and results.
• You hunger for meaningful work with an exceptionally talented team, where it’s all about clear and open communication, genuine collaboration, and exceeding customer expectations  - across the whole business.     

Introduction

Our client creates highly engaging and innovative consumer-centric electronic product solutions. The business has grown rapidly in size, scale and scope but still retains, at heart, the start-up mentality which has fueled its wild success. This outsized growth rate requires our client to massively scale-up many of the systems, process and procedures (and their functional leadership) so vital to support the company’s continued advancement into new products and global markets.  Hence this new position, Director, Product Quality. 

The position will be based in the Silicon Valley, California metro area and will report remotely to the company’s Vice President, Global Supply Chain, who is based in Hong Kong.  All product design, development and support functions are performed in California, while manufacturing is currently done on a contract basis in Shenzhen, China. Our client is the wholly-owned subsidiary of highly successful and profitable Fortune 500 parent company, which is also located on the West Coast.  

The Role

Define, lead and take ownership of the product quality organization.  Develop world-class quality thinking and the programs, systems, principles and processes through which quality manifests itself throughout the company.  The results of this effort will be threefold:  exceed customer expectations in every way; reduce total warranty costs across all product lines, and; build the culture and supporting structures to ensure continuous improvement in both.  

What Your Bring to the Table

• You have demonstrated both deep-dive, hands-on experience in shop-floor quality problem solving, and 30k-foot strategic-level quality issues perspective and sophistication.
• You have demonstrated the ability to rapidly and scientifically assess and deal with day-to-day quality correction, while simultaneously anticipating, developing and implementing the quality philosophies, infrastructure, and practices critical to the company’s future success.
• You offer a proven track record driving operational excellence and continuous improvement initiatives, focused on product quality, utilizing Lean Manufacturing (Toyota Production System) and Six Sigma methodologies.
• You have outstanding communications skills.  This enables you to interact with senior management executives and influence their decision-making, as well as to effectively partner with other exceptionally talented people broadly across the organization.
• You have recently worked in a high-volume 3C (computer, communication, consumer), fast-moving product lifecycle  electronics organization and have extensive on-the-ground experience in mainland China.
• Chances are your resume will include the names of other word-class consumer electronics companies such as Apple, Palm, Philips, Sony, Nintendo, Nokia, Cisco and more.  

Travel  -  Because even the best video communications technology has its limitations, the Director, Product Quality should expect to travel frequently, at times on very short notice, to China.

Compensation  -  Excellent base salary, sign-on bonus and restricted stock units (RSUs).  Equity awards consist of stock in our client’s parent company and are historically a major, continuing preferred form of executive compensation.

Connect with Us  -  Please connect with me in whatever way is most convenient for you. We share no information about you with anyone outside our firm until we’ve agreed on this with you.

Adam Zak, Principal,  Adam Zak Executive Search    +1 (847) 304-5301 direct

resume@LeanRecruiter.com      az@LeanRecruiter.com

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