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Job Description:
Role Summary
The CM Site Leader serves as 3M's senior on-site representative and overall leader at contract manufacturing partner locations in China. This role is accountable for overall factory engagement, operational execution, manufacturing performance, and strategic partnership management between 3M and the contract manufacturer.
The CM Site Leader leads the on-site 3M team, including Operations Program Management (OPM), Technical Program Management (TPM), and Operations Test Engineering (OpsTE) functions and driving Quality with the Product Quality Manager (PQM), ensuring cross-functional alignment to achieve successful product launches, operational excellence, supply continuity, customer quality, and long-term manufacturing capability development.
Acting as the primary escalation point for the site, the CM Site Leader drives execution across operations, engineering, quality, supply chain, and business objectives while ensuring compliance with 3M policies, intellectual property protection requirements, and supplier governance expectations.
Core Responsibilities
Site Leadership & 3M Representation
- Serve as the primary on-site representative of 3M at assigned contract manufacturing locations.
- Establish and maintain executive-level relationships with contract manufacturer leadership teams.
- Lead and coordinate all on-site 3M activities to ensure alignment with business, operational, and strategic objectives.
- Act as the primary escalation point for site-related operational, technical, quality, and supplier issues.
- Represent site performance, risks, and opportunities to 3M leadership.
Cross-Functional Team Leadership
- Lead and develop the on-site 3M organization, including Operations Program Managers (OPM), Technical Program Managers (TPM), Operations Test Engineers (OpsTE), and supporting functions.
- Ensure effective collaboration across Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Commercial teams.
- Establish operating mechanisms that drive accountability, execution discipline, and rapid decision-making.
- Align team priorities and resources to support product launches, production ramps, and sustained manufacturing performance.
- Foster a culture of operational excellence, technical rigor, and continuous improvement.
Factory Operations & Execution
- Oversee day-to-day contract manufacturing execution against production plans, customer demand, and business commitments.
- Ensure alignment across production schedules, materials, manufacturing readiness, test capacity, equipment availability, and operational resources.
- Monitor factory performance against key metrics including delivery, capacity, yield, quality, inventory, and customer service objectives.
- Drive rapid response and recovery planning for operational disruptions, supply constraints, and production challenges.
- Ensure factory execution supports forecasted demand and long-term growth requirements.
Product Launch & Manufacturing Readiness
- Provide executive oversight for NPI programs, manufacturing transfers, qualification activities, and production ramp-ups.
- Ensure OPM, TPM, PQM, and OpsTE teams deliver successful factory readiness, technical readiness, and production launch objectives.
- Review and approve launch risk assessments, recovery plans, and operational readiness milestones.
- Remove organizational barriers impacting program success.
- Drive accountability for launch performance, customer availability, and operational stability.
Strategic Supplier Management
- Build and maintain strategic partnerships with contract manufacturing leadership teams.
- Conduct regular business reviews covering operational performance, technology development, capacity expansion, and strategic alignment.
- Evaluate supplier capabilities, investment plans, and long-term manufacturing strategies.
- Influence supplier prioritization and resource allocation to support 3M business objectives.
- Support supplier selection, onboarding, and expansion initiatives.
Risk Management & Business Continuity
- Own site-level risk management covering operations, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, personnel, capacity, and compliance.
- Ensure proactive identification, assessment, and mitigation of site risks.
- Lead executive escalation management during critical supply, manufacturing, or business continuity events.
- Coordinate recovery plans across multiple functions and organizations.
- Maintain visibility and communication of significant risks to leadership teams.
Governance, Compliance & IP Protection
- Ensure compliance with 3M supplier management policies, business conduct requirements, and governance processes.
- Safeguard 3M intellectual property, proprietary technology, and confidential information within the contract manufacturing environment.
- Ensure adherence to technology collaboration and information-sharing guidelines.
- Support audits, assessments, and compliance reviews as required.
- Promote a culture of integrity, confidentiality, and responsible business practices.
Qualifications
- Bilingual fluency in Mandarin Chinese (preferred) and English (required).
- 10+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations, engineering, supply chain, or contract manufacturing management.
- Demonstrated leadership experience managing cross-functional teams in complex manufacturing environments.
- Strong understanding of product launches, manufacturing operations, supply chain management, quality systems, and supplier management.
- Proven experience working directly with contract manufacturers, OEMs, or strategic suppliers.
- Strong executive communication, stakeholder management, negotiation, and influencing skills.
- Experience leading teams across Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain functions.
- Ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, highly matrixed global organizations.
- Willingness to maintain regular on-site presence at contract manufacturing locations and travel as required.
Please note: your application may not be considered if you do not provide your education and work history, either by: 1) uploading a resume, or 2) entering the information into the application fields directly.
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10+ years in manufacturing, operations, engineering, supply chain, or contract manufacturing management; cross-functional leadership, supplier management, product launches, executive communication, and English fluency required.
Key Responsibilities
- leading operations
- managing suppliers
- overseeing launches
Job Details
- Category: Business Operations
- Seniority: Senior Level
- Commitment: Full Time
- Workplace: Remote — Xiamen or Singapore or Shanghai or Beijing or Hefei or Guangzhou or Guangzhou
- Languages: English, Chinese
About 3M
A global manufacturer applying science and innovation to improve everyday life. — Industry: Manufacturing