Director – Supplier Manufacturing Development

Starz Advise Management Pte Ltd; Malacca City; On-site; MYR 324,000 - 368,000; Full time

Job summary

Starz Advise Management Pte Ltd is seeking a senior manufacturing leader to build and lead a new Supplier Manufacturing Development function focused on Asia. The role emphasizes hands-on improvement of supplier factory floors, expanding capacity, reducing cycle time, and improving yield and on-time delivery.

The ideal candidate has 15+ years of manufacturing leadership experience, with deep expertise in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and PFMEA, and a proven ability to scale organisations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or equivalent technical discipline.
• At least 15 years of manufacturing experience with direct production leadership.
• Experience leading multi-site teams in a global organisation.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing/TPS, Six Sigma and PFMEA.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead the Supplier Manufacturing Development function across Asia.
• Drive supplier capability assessments, capacity, yield and on-time delivery improvements.
• Lead Lean and Six Sigma initiatives on supplier operations with hands-on shop-floor involvement.
• Provide technical leadership on core manufacturing processes such as machining, assembly or metal forming.
• Engage with supplier executives to drive sustainable performance improvements.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing/TPS

Six Sigma

PFMEA

Structured problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering

Job description

About Our Client

Our client is a leading global provider of advanced semiconductor equipment and technology solutions, serving major semiconductor manufacturers and OSAT companies worldwide.

With operations across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, the company specialises in semiconductor test, automation, inspection and precision engineering.

As part of its continued global growth, our client is seeking experienced engineering leaders with a strong track record in innovation, operational excellence and building high-performing teams.

Role Overview

This is a senior manufacturing leadership role responsible for building and leading a new Supplier Manufacturing Development function, with a primary focus on Asia.

The role will strengthen supplier manufacturing capabilities across capacity, cycle time, yield, cost, quality and on-time delivery through hands-on operational improvement. The successful candidate will bring significant experience in running and improving manufacturing operations and must be comfortable working directly on supplier factory floors.

This position requires a strong manufacturing and operational leader rather than a traditional supplier quality or audit-focused profile.

Key Responsibilities:

Build & Lead Supplier Development

• Build and lead the Supplier Manufacturing Development function, including team structure, recruitment, development, metrics and operating processes.
• Lead Supplier Development teams across Asia and collaborate with global Supply Chain, Quality and Engineering functions.
• Establish consistent supplier development standards, processes and best practices.

Supplier Manufacturing Capability

• Assess supplier manufacturing capabilities and identify gaps against product and business requirements.
• Evaluate factory operations, including material flow, equipment capability, tooling, maintenance, production planning, capacity and workforce capability.
• Develop and execute measurable supplier improvement plans.
• Provide hands-on technical support for complex parts, sub-assemblies and manufacturing processes.
• Lead supplier qualification and capability assessments based on demonstrated manufacturing performance.

Manufacturing Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Lead supplier improvement initiatives using Lean/TPS, Six Sigma, PFMEA and structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Drive improvements in capacity, cycle time, yield, productivity, cost and on-time delivery.
• Lead critical supplier improvement programmes with direct factory-floor involvement when required.
• Provide deep technical expertise in at least one core manufacturing process, such as precision machining, plating, assembly, sheet metal, moulding or weldments.

Supplier Performance & Risk Management

• Monitor supplier performance and prioritise engineering resources based on business impact.
• Identify and mitigate manufacturing, capacity and operational risks.
• Drive cross-functional solutions to supplier performance challenges.
• Engage supplier executives and operational leaders to drive sustainable performance improvements.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or an equivalent technical discipline.
• At least 15 years of manufacturing experience, preferably with direct line responsibility for running significant production operations.
• Strong preference for candidates who have held senior operational positions such as Plant Manager, Manufacturing Director, Operations Director or Manufacturing Engineering Director within a sizeable manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to enter an unfamiliar manufacturing facility, quickly assess how effectively it is operating, and identify opportunities and constraints across material flow, equipment capability, tooling, changeover, maintenance, capacity and shop-floor management.
• Deep, hands-on technical expertise in at least one core manufacturing process, such as precision machining, plating and surface finishing, mechanical or electro-mechanical assembly, sheet metal fabrication, moulding or weldments, with sufficient technical depth to engage credibly with supplier process engineers.
• Proven experience building an organisation or function from the ground up, or significantly scaling an existing organisation, including defining roles, recruiting and developing engineers, and establishing operating processes.
• Experience managing manufacturing cost structures, capacity planning and/or P&L responsibility for a factory or significant production operation.
• At least 5 years of managerial experience leading engineering or manufacturing teams, including multi-site teams, preferably within a global organisation.
• Strong knowledge and practical application of Lean Manufacturing/TPS, Six Sigma, structured problem-solving, PFMEA and manufacturing control methodologies.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to engage effectively with senior supplier executives, operations leaders, engineering teams and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly to supplier manufacturing sites, particularly across Asia.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is an accomplished manufacturing leader who has personally managed and improved complex production operations and can quickly identify what is working — and what is not — on a factory floor.

The individual should combine strong operational leadership with deep technical manufacturing expertise and be capable of translating factory observations into practical, measurable improvement programmes.

Experience focused primarily on supplier audits, compliance reviews, checklists or documentation, without substantial hands-on manufacturing leadership and operational improvement experience, would be less aligned with the requirements of this position.

Salary: RM29,000 – RM33,000

We regret to inform that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted

EA Personnel No R21101246

Company EA Registration No 21C0691