Employer: ZSA Technology Labs, Inc.
Position: President & Supply Chain Guru
Terms of Employment: Full-time / Permanent
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Employment Address: 250 University Ave #200 Toronto, ON M5H 3E5
Hours of Work: 40 hours/week
Language: English
Benefits: Eligible for discretionary bonuses and/or salary increases in accordance with company policy. Eligible for health spending account, dental coverage and business travel insurance.
Salary: $ 195,000 CAD / year
Contact: Please send resumes to ez@zsa.io and include “President & Supply Chain Guru” in the email subject line.
Duties:
• Turning ZSA’s initial creative vision into some of the world’s very best computer keyboards. From the initial concept and product/market fit stage, through physical ideation and rough sketches, to working “one of one” prototypes for ergonomic evaluation, all the way to production-ready mechanical designs (personally created by the President of the company, not just overseen). All of this while adding a distinct visual flourish to each idea and filling it with life, and while making sure that each concept is designed for manufacturing (DFM) and will survive the rigors of real-world use by hundreds of thousands of professionals
• Coordinating the work of regions, divisions or departments
• Personally managing ZSA’s production facilities, building strong relationships across the entire vendor pipeline, Overseeing quality right down to blemishes on parts, and instilling ZSA’s uncompromising quality standards down through to the smallest subcontractor. All of this while making sure production timelines are met
• Selecting middle managers, director or other executive staff
• Creatively and resourcefully responding to supply chain “surprises” (which are becoming all too common) by tracking down alternative supplies and looking at each product’s BOM with fresh eyes, to see what can be changed and what’s new out there. Thinking on your feet.
• Allocating material, human and financial resources to implement organizational policies and programs; establishing financial and administrative controls; formulating and approving promotional campaigns; and approving overall personnel planning
• Elegantly navigating the divide between ZSA’s open-source firmware and propriety intellectual property
• Taking qualitative customer feedback seriously while being able to “read between the lines.” Correctly interpreting what people are saying about us and to us, with regards to our products. Using this information to adjust current designs so our hardware keeps getting better and more reliable over time
• Achieving all tasks with a significant degree of operational business savvy, so as to work with ZSA’s constrained resources and lean, bootstrapped culture
• Representing the company, or delegating representatives to act on behalf of the company in negotiations or other official functions
• Establishing objectives for the company and formulating or approving policies and programs
• Authorizing and organizing the establishment of major departments and associated senior staff positions
Requirements:
• University degree required
• PhD degree preferred
• 10+ years of management experience in a related field
• English speaking, fluent reading and writing
• Extensive manufacturing experience in the east, especially Taiwan
• Experience in bringing multiple embedded products to market successfully, within budget constraints, both industrial and consumer
• Low-level embedded programming experience, including a full network stack
• Industrial design and mechanical design, 3D design, fully fluent in SolidWorks
• Practical experience in taking designs all the way to the tooling stage and beyond – not just concepts, but to complete commercial execution
• Proven experience (with references and case studies) in working directly with manufacturers, choosing a factory, and maintaining tight quality standards over a long period of time while adhering to tight deadlines
• Substantial knowledge of electronics, including the ability to read schematic diagrams and evaluate board layouts
• Practical knowledge in designing and manufacturing USB computer keyboards with several commercial designs to show
• A demonstrated understanding of intellectual property, as pertains to working with open-source firmware and managing contributions
• Experience in drafting patents, as demonstrated by having your name on at least three US patents
• Experience in managing a corporation, including hiring employees, setting regulations and standards, establishing a highly efficient office, dealing with tax authorities and accounting planning, cash flow, working directly with vendors and managing a complicated supply chain
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