Managing Director, China Product Venture

A successful US entrepreneur is seeking a highly capable and entrepreneurial Managing Director to build and operate a China-based product development, e-commerce, procurement and supply-chain organization serving multiple US businesses and future ventures.

The founder operates a successful commercial-printing and visual-communications business in Orlando, Florida, and is expanding into e-commerce, LED display solutions, trade-show and exhibit products, commercial and contractor-related products, consumer products and additional business acquisitions.

The China operation will combine:

US customer and market demand
Chinese manufacturing capabilities
E-commerce and digital-marketing opportunities
AI-assisted research and operating systems
Rapid product development
Direct factory sourcing
Product improvement and differentiation
Social-media content and demand validation
Quality control, logistics and supplier management

This is not a traditional purchasing position, sourcing-agent role or narrowly defined corporate job.

The Managing Director will initially work hands-on, prove the business model, create operating systems and then recruit and lead specialized team members as the workload and economics justify expansion.

Central Mandate

Proactively identify commercially valuable opportunities, convert them into profitable products and supply-chain advantages, and build the team and systems necessary to scale them—without waiting for the founder to direct every step.

Primary Responsibilities
Build and Operate the China Business
Create the operating plan for China Product Ventures
Establish priorities, workflows, project scorecards and reporting systems
Work directly with the US founder to convert business opportunities into executable projects
Build a reliable network of factories, designers, engineers, inspectors, freight forwarders, content creators and e-commerce specialists
Initially perform essential work personally and use project-based specialists where appropriate
Recruit permanent team members only when recurring workload and economics justify the position
Build an operation that can eventually function without the founder’s daily involvement
Identify and Evaluate Opportunities
Research products, sourcing opportunities and business ideas relevant to US customers
Study US e-commerce, social-media and consumer trends
Evaluate customer demand, competitors, pricing, margins, working-capital requirements and risks
Convert incomplete ideas into structured product-opportunity briefs
Recommend whether an opportunity should be pursued, modified, tested or rejected
Prioritize opportunities with strong customer value, attractive margins and manageable risk
E-Commerce, AI and Demand Validation
Research opportunities using Amazon, Shopify, Walmart Marketplace, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Douyin, Xiaohongshu and other relevant platforms
Use AI for market research, competitive analysis, product development, content creation, documentation and workflow automation
Turn products into marketable offers, product listings, advertising concepts and demand tests
Coordinate or personally create short-form social-media content, including product demonstrations and factory videos
Test demand through existing customers, direct outreach, paid campaigns, e-commerce listings, preorders or pilot programs
Measure qualified leads, conversions, collected revenue and contribution profit—not merely views or followers
Recommend whether to stop, modify or scale each opportunity
Product Development
Translate business ideas and customer problems into clear product requirements
Coordinate designers, engineers, factories and prototype providers
Develop product specifications, materials, packaging and quality standards
Improve or differentiate products rather than simply locating generic catalog items
Manage samples, prototypes, revisions, testing and pilot-production runs
Evaluate manufacturability, cost, intellectual property, customer experience and product-liability risks
Supplier Development and Procurement
Identify manufacturers through industrial networks, factory clusters, trade shows, referrals and direct research
Verify whether suppliers are actual manufacturers and assess their capabilities
Compare suppliers based on total value—not just quoted unit price
Negotiate pricing, tooling, minimum order quantities, payment terms, lead times, exclusivity and quality obligations
Establish backup suppliers for important products
Protect the business from undisclosed trading companies, unauthorized subcontracting, material substitution and supplier dependency
Maintain complete supplier and quotation records
Quality, Logistics and Risk Management
Establish written product specifications and inspection criteria
Coordinate preproduction, in-process and pre-shipment inspections
Calculate true landed cost, including freight, duties, tariffs, inspections, rejects, warranties and inventory carrying costs
Work with freight forwarders, customs specialists and testing organizations
Identify certification, regulatory, intellectual-property, safety and product-liability risks before launch
Resolve quality, delivery and supplier-performance problems quickly and transparently
Financial Management
Prepare landed-cost calculations and preliminary product economics
Understand gross margin, contribution margin, cash conversion, inventory risk and return on invested capital
Develop project budgets and monitor China operating expenses
Verify sourcing savings against accurate historical-cost baselines
Focus on collected profit and measurable savings rather than projected revenue
Initial Reporting Expectations

During the initial evaluation period, the Managing Director will provide:

Monday priorities and expected deliverables
Immediate reporting of significant quality, supplier, financial or schedule problems
Friday progress reports covering results, delays, decisions required and next steps
Updated project scorecards and financial assumptions
Monthly reviews of sourcing savings, opportunities, samples, product launches and staffing requirements

A short end-of-day update may be required during the first 30 days. Reporting frequency may be reduced after reliable systems and communication are established.

Required Qualifications

Candidates should demonstrate most of the following:

Experience in e-commerce, product development, manufacturing, international sourcing, supply-chain management, cross-border commerce or business operations
Experience taking products or sourcing initiatives from concept through production, market testing and commercial delivery
Strong understanding of Chinese manufacturing and supplier practices
Ability to locate, verify, negotiate with and manage factories
Understanding of product specifications, samples, quality control and manufacturability
Strong commercial judgment involving pricing, gross margin, landed cost, working capital, customer value and return on investment
Ability to evaluate whether a product can be marketed and sold successfully in the United States
Experience recruiting or managing employees, contractors and technical specialists
Ability to work independently when objectives are clear but detailed instructions are incomplete
Strong project-management and organizational abilities
High integrity and willingness to disclose problems immediately
Willingness to travel regularly to factories and suppliers
Comfort working directly with an American founder and US-based businesses
Willingness and ability to use AI tools in daily work
Fluent Mandarin Chinese is expected
American business English will be evaluated throughout the application and interview process
Cantonese fluency will also be evaluated and is considered valuable

An American accent is not required. We are evaluating practical English listening, thinking, presentation, negotiation and business-communication ability.

Highly Valued Experience

The following experience will be especially valuable:

E-commerce, Shopify, Amazon, Walmart Marketplace, direct-to-consumer products or cross-border online sales
Practical AI use for research, analysis, content, automation, documentation or operations
Creating short-form social-media content, including TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Douyin and Xiaohongshu
Turning products into product pages, offers, advertising concepts and demand-validation campaigns
Using digital content to identify trends, test demand and generate qualified leads or sales
Launching a new business unit, product line, venture or company
US-market product and competitor research
Experience working with American customers or US-owned companies
Consumer products, pet products or commercially differentiated everyday products
Building materials, contractor supplies or home-improvement products
LED displays, commercial electronics, lighting or technology products
Industrial design, engineering or product-development management
Product testing, certifications and US regulatory requirements
US importing, tariffs, customs and international logistics
Trade-show and exhibit products
Commercial printing, signage or visual communications

Candidates are not expected to possess every skill listed above. Demonstrated ability to learn quickly, organize resources and produce measurable commercial results is more important than experience in one specific industry.

Leadership Profile

We are looking for someone who combines three capabilities:

Operator: Executes reliably, follows through and solves problems.
Commercial entrepreneur: Understands customers, products, margins and opportunities.
Talent builder: Recruits specialists, creates systems and builds a team that can scale.

The Managing Director does not need to be the best engineer, designer, marketer or quality inspector. However, this person must understand each discipline well enough to define the work, evaluate results and hire specialists who are stronger in their respective fields.