Nathan James is looking for a Director of Global Manufacturing to help support our Product function, expand the product assortment and quality in order to provide customers with the best possible product experience in support of our mission.

People-first company, design-first home.

We are a design-first, home furnishing company focusing on the habits of urban dwellers and first time home buyers. We pride ourselves on the best in class customer happiness, providing the highest possible quality products that are affordable for the majority and assembly that isn't dreadful.

As a people-first company, we understood from day one the importance of being fully distributed. We encourage everyone to work in whichever manner that helps them perform their best.

A person who will be happy, fulfilled, and successful in this role and as a remote team member at Nathan James is someone who values life and identity outside of work.

This role is part of the Product Function at Nathan James and reports directly to the COO. You will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of contract manufacturing: sourcing, new product development, quality management and on-time completed production. You will be leading the division to support the launch of 100+ new SKUs annually, while continuously improving our product quality standards and strengthening our vendor base.

Deep knowledge of working with contract manufacturers and product development in home furnishing, especially case goods furniture is a prerequisite. We are looking for someone to make an immediate impact  by leading our China and Vietnam Country Managers to execute Nathan James’ strategy. This role will work closely with our Director of Product Development to support our product assortment expansion into new home furnishing categories. 

During training, you’ll be expected to be proactive in your process and learn quickly. Once fully up-to-speed (2-3 months), you’ll be managing and leading the teams in China and Vietnam that are currently overseeing the production of 50-100 containers per month. You will also be expected to travel approximately 12 weeks per year to visit existing vendors, our teams and potential new vendors. 

We have a rhythm to our work and a very low turnover rate — we have yet to have a single team member opt out. Your voice matters to us. We make change from fresh perspectives and appreciate new viewpoints, so you should feel comfortable speaking up about your values and goals.

We’re ready for the ongoing work that goes into building an inclusive, supportive place for you to do the best work of your career. Our values, workplace and our benefits are designed to support a sustainable, healthy relationship with your work. Our operating values provide the framework we use in building a healthy, resilient organization.

You can expect a mindful onboarding process with ramp-up and time to learn. You can expect a team that listens, and to be heard. You can expect to give and provide direct feedback. You can expect to work with good people. You can expect to be counted on. You can expect to do your best work and build a career here. 

We’re looking for someone who has extensive experience in contract manufacturing for home furnishing. You must have a deep understanding of raw materials, where they’re sourced from, who are the primary buyers and what they are being used for. You’re aware of the emerging manufacturing markets and know how to spot opportunities. You’re a big proponent of automated manufacturing. You are deeply analytical, data-driven, and comfortable analyzing data to make decisions. You should be a decisive individual who is tuned into the industry and able to intuitively forecast future challenges based on today’s news.

You love problem solving and finding solutions to increase flexibility of our product range while continually improving our quality and overall vendor performance. This division has the potential to unlock, even more, Nathan James’ already rapid growth. That should be exciting for you, you want to be a key contributor to the innovation and scaling of this business.

On a granular level we’re looking for:

For this role we do require that your normal workday has at least 4 hours overlap with the Montreal workday (currently UTC-5) without impinging on your personal/family life. 

This is a remote role, since we are a remote company! You’re free to work where you work best, anywhere in the world: home office, coworking space, or coffee shops. That hinges on effective writing, self-discipline, and comfort with open communication.

Our benefits are all aimed at supporting a life well lived both at work and away from work.

We’re all about reasonable working hours, sharing, ample vacation time, wellness, education, comfort, and giving back. We offer competitive salaries, for a similar role in the country you will be working from.

Please submit an application here that speaks directly to this position. There are no right answers or cookie-cutter expectations. A cover letter is not required, but those that clearly demonstrate how Nathan James would be a great fit for you and how you would be a great fit for us, will be given full attention and are highly appreciated. 

You’ll hear from us about advancement to a video screen and then on to a work sample, where you’ll get a chance to see the types of challenges you would be solving in this role. Our interviews are all remote by Whereby video chat (no software needed), with your future colleagues, on your schedule.

We appreciate your consideration into having Nathan James be part of your career.

Our open conversation starts with this post. We look forward to hearing from you.
Check us out on LinkedIn here!