Sourcing & Merchandising Manager - Protective Gear

ConnectedGroup Limited; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

ConnectedGroup Limited in Hong Kong is seeking a senior sourcing and supplier management professional to lead protective gear procurement, drive cost improvements, and manage partnerships across Asia. You will collaborate with product, design, and engineering to ensure performance and delivery excellence in a multi-country supplier network.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering or related fields, 8+ years in sourcing or supply chain, and strong negotiation, project management, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing or a related discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in sourcing, product development, manufacturing, or supply chain management within sporting goods or protective equipment.
• Strong knowledge of product development processes, manufacturing operations, materials, and vendor management.
• Experience with multi-country supplier networks and cross-functional projects from development through production.
• Commercially minded with strong negotiation and cost management capabilities.
• Excellent project management and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to communicate with international teams within a global matrix organization.
• Fluency in English is required; other Asian languages are advantageous.
• Willingness to travel regularly within the region.

Responsibilities

• Lead the sourcing, vendor management, and product commercialization activities for protective gear e.g. helmets.
• Build and manage strategic partnerships with factories and development partners across Asia.
• Collaborate with product creation, design, and engineering teams to ensure products meet performance, quality, cost, and delivery objectives.
• Drive new product introduction (NPI) projects from concept through production readiness, ensuring timelines are achieved.
• Identify and onboard new manufacturing partners to support innovation, scalability and business growth.
• Negotiate product costs, supplier agreements, tooling investments, and continuous cost improvement initiatives.
• Monitor factory performance through KPI management, capacity planning, quality metrics, and on-time delivery.
• Sourcing strategies and risk mitigation programs to enhance supply chain resilience.
• Work closely with quality and technical teams to resolve development and production issues while maintaining product integrity.
• Analyze market trends, manufacturing technologies, and supplier capabilities to identify opportunities for product and process improvements.
• Ensure compliance with company standards, regulatory requirements, social responsibility expectations, and sustainability initiatives.
• Travel within Asia as required to support factory management, development activities, and supplier performance reviews.

Skills

Sourcing

Vendor management

Negotiation

Cost optimization

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

English proficiency

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Supply Chain/Manufacturing or related discipline

Job description

• Lead the sourcing, vendor management, and product commercialization activities for protective gear e.g. helmets.
• Build and manage strategic partnerships with factories and development partners across Asia.
• Collaborate with product creation, design, and engineering teams to ensure products meet performance, quality, cost, and delivery objectives.
• Drive new product introduction (NPI) projects from concept through production readiness, ensuring timelines are achieved.
• Identify and onboard new manufacturing partners to support innovation, scalability and business growth.
• Negotiate product costs, supplier agreements, tooling investments, and continuous cost improvement initiatives.
• Monitor factory performance through KPI management, capacity planning, quality metrics, and on-time delivery.
• Sourcing strategiesc and risk mitigation programs to enhance supply chain resilience.
• Work closely with quality and technical teams to resolve development and production issues while maintaining product integrity.
• Analyze market trends, manufacturing technologies, and supplier capabilities to identify opportunities for product and process improvements.
• Ensure compliance with company standards, regulatory requirements, social responsibility expectations, and sustainability initiatives.
• Travel within Asia as required to support factory management, development activities, and supplier performance reviews.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing or a related discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in sourcing, product development, manufacturing, or supply chain management within sporting goods, protective equipment.
• Strong knowledge of product development processes, manufacturing operations, materials, and vendor management.
• Experience working with technical, performance-driven products and multi-country supplier networks.
• Proven track record of managing factory relationships and leading cross-functional projects from development through production.
• Commercially minded with strong negotiation and cost management capabilities.
• Excellent project management, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work effectively within a global matrix organization and communicate with international teams.
• Fluency in English is required; additional Asian languages would be advantageous.
• Willingness to travel regularly within the region.