Director, Manufacturing Excellence – Engineering

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Reports to: AVP, Manufacturing Excellence

Supervises: Manufacturing Excellence Team, as applicable

Position Summary

As the Director of Manufacturing Excellence, you will play a pivotal role in driving innovation, quality and efficiency across jewelry product development and manufacturing processes.

You will collaborate closely with manufacturing partners to ensure the successful delivery of world-class jewelry collections.

As a senior technical leader for Manufacturing Excellence in Asia, you will provide hands-on engineering leadership, mentor the Manufacturing Excellence team and serve as a key technical authority for complex product engineering, manufacturing and process-development challenges from concept through production.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain strong relationships with external partners and manufacturers to support manufacturing initiatives.
• Partner directly with manufacturers on factory floors to troubleshoot engineering and manufacturing challenges in real time.
• Work alongside master craftsmen at the bench to validate manufacturing methods, jewelry construction, assembly techniques, stone-setting methods, mechanisms, finishing processes and repair techniques.
• Collaborate closely with Product Development and Design teams to ensure alignment between design aesthetics, technical feasibility and production processes.
• Lead hands-on evaluations of prototypes and first samples to validate construction methods, assembly sequences, setting techniques, mechanisms, finishing quality and overall manufacturability before production release.
• Prototype and demonstrate advanced bench techniques, manufacturing methods, tooling concepts and craftsmanship practices that improve product performance while maintaining design intent.
• Drive manufacturing excellence initiatives by optimising processes and implementing best practices to enhance quality and efficiency.
• Establish bench craftsmanship standards by demonstrating advanced jewelry fabrication, assembly, soldering, laser welding, polishing, finishing, repair and stone-setting practices.
• Mentor Manufacturing Excellence engineers and manufacturing partners on technical and craftsmanship standards.
• Oversee product costing, budget management and resource allocation to support operational efficiency.
• Personally evaluate prototypes, first samples and production samples alongside the Manufacturing Excellence team and recommend improvements relating to construction, durability, manufacturability, assembly efficiency and luxury craftsmanship.
• Ensure quality-control measures are maintained across manufacturing partners and meet required standards and regulations.
• Ensure adherence to project timelines, budgets and quality standards throughout the engineering and manufacturing process.
• Foster a culture of creativity, excellence and collaboration within the Manufacturing Excellence team and across functions.

Additional Responsibilities

• Serve as a Manufacturing Excellence bench expert by building, modifying, repairing and validating prototypes and production samples to establish benchmark manufacturing methods.
• Work directly alongside model makers, setters, polishers, assemblers and master jewelers to resolve complex product-construction challenges and improve manufacturing consistency.
• Develop reference samples and prototype modifications to demonstrate manufacturing best practices and support technical training for manufacturing partners.
• Lead technical reviews for complex engineering challenges, product failures and manufacturing issues requiring advanced engineering judgement.
• Validate new manufacturing technologies, tooling concepts, materials and production methods before implementation across the manufacturing network.
• Support the technical qualification and capability assessment of existing and prospective manufacturing partners.
• Represent Manufacturing Excellence in executive-level product reviews, communicating technical risks, mitigation plans and manufacturing readiness.

Candidate Profile & Location

The search is open to both Thai and international candidates.

Candidates should demonstrate exceptional depth within jewelry manufacturing, strong leadership capability, cross-functional effectiveness and the ability to operate successfully from Bangkok.

Thai-language capability is advantageous but not essential.

The role is based in Bangkok and requires substantial presence both in the office and on manufacturing-partner factory floors.

International candidates must be able to satisfy applicable Thai work-authorisation and relocation requirements.