Manager, Category Management Contract Manufacturing

Company description:

Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, PANDORA employs more than 26,000 people worldwide of whom more than 12,000 are located in Thailand, where the Company manufactures its jewellery. Pandora have been sold in more than 100 countries on 6 continents. PANDORA is publicly listed on the Nasdaq Copenhagen stock exchange in Denmark.
In 1989, PANDORA started manufacturing jewellery in Thailand.

Job description:

Imagine being a part of the Supply Chain & Procurement for the world's largest jewellery brand. If you love to bring the innovation beyond novelties, then you might be our next Manager, Category Management Contract Manufacturing (Mandarin Speaking) at Pandora Crafting & Supply

We love that you will…

Main Purpose of the Role

Lead the end-to-end management of Stainless Steel and Platinum Plating projects across Contract Manufacturing suppliers, ensuring successful development, industrialization, commercialization, quality, cost, delivery, and capacity readiness. Act as the primary interface between Pandora and Mandarin-speaking suppliers to drive project execution, risk management, and strategic supplier development.

Key Responsibilities

Project Management

• Lead end-to-end execution of Stainless Steel and Platinum Plating projects from concept through mass production.
• Manage project timelines, milestones, risks, and stakeholder alignment to ensure on-time delivery.
• Drive supplier readiness for new product introductions (NPI), transfers, insourcing, and capacity expansions.

Supplier Management

• Serve as the primary contact for Mandarin-speaking suppliers in China and other relevant regions.
• Build strong supplier relationships and drive performance against agreed KPIs for quality, delivery, cost, and responsiveness.
• Conduct regular business reviews and implement corrective action plans where required.

Technical & Process Development

• Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Product Development, and Operations teams to ensure successful plating development and qualification.
• Monitor Stainless Steel and Platinum Plating process capability, yield, and quality performance.
• Support technical troubleshooting and root cause analysis for project and production issues.

Commercial & Cost Management

• Lead cost analysis, benchmarking, and productivity initiatives within the plating category.
• Support commercial negotiations, cost-saving projects, and open-book costing discussions with suppliers.
• Drive continuous improvement in total cost of ownership (TCO).

Risk & Governance

• Identify supply, quality, capacity, and technical risks and develop mitigation plans.
• Ensure supplier compliance with Pandora standards, specifications, and contractual requirements.
• Escalate critical issues proactively and lead recovery plans when required.

Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with Quality, Master Planning, Procurement, Product Development, Manufacturing Engineering, Sustainability, and Finance teams.
• Provide regular project updates to senior leadership and ensure cross-functional alignment.

Key KPIs

• On-time project delivery
• Launch readiness achievement
• Supplier quality performance (PPM, reject rates)
• Cost reduction and productivity savings
• Capacity readiness
• Yield and plating performance improvement
• Supplier compliance and corrective action closure rate