Job Title: Production Manager
Department: Product & Manufacturing
Location: HCMC - VN (with travel to manufacturers as required)
Employment Type: Full-time
Reporting to: Head of Product / COO
About Brain-Life
Brain-Life is a deep-tech startup developing affordable neurofeedback wearables that integrate EEG, fNIRS, and PPG sensing with an AI-powered digital platform to enable proactive mental well-being monitoring and personalised interventions. Our mission is to bring scalable neurotechnology into everyday life and empower users to better understand and manage their mental state.
As we transition from advanced R&D to pilot and commercial deployment, we are seeking an experienced Mass Production Manager to lead manufacturing readiness and scale-up of our wearable headband product.
Role Overview
The Mass Production Manager is responsible for industrialisation, mass manufacturing readiness, and continuous quality assurance of Brain-Life's hardware products. This role works cross-functionally with R&D, hardware engineering, product design, supply chain, regulatory, and external manufacturing partners to translate prototyping output into repeatable, cost-optimised, high-quality production.
You will lead the transition from prototype builds to EVT/DVT/PVT and oversee ramp-up to full-scale mass production while establishing manufacturing workflows, QA/QC systems, and supplier quality standards.
Key Responsibilities
Pre-production & Industrialisation
- Drive the product transition from engineering prototypes to mass-manufacturable design, including manufacturability (DFM), testability (DFT), and serviceability (DFS).
- Plan and manage EVT/DVT/PVT phases including validation gates, acceptance criteria, and change management.
- Establish and optimise assembly processes, fixture requirements, and production line workflows.
- Define product Bill of Materials (BOM) readiness, cost targets, material availability, and risk mitigation strategies.
- Collaborate with hardware, firmware, and mechanical design teams to finalise design packages for handover to manufacturing partners.
Manufacturing & Production Management
- Select, qualify, and manage contract manufacturers (CMs), EMS providers, tooling vendors, and component suppliers.
- Oversee tooling creation, CNC / molding / printing / coating processes, and wearable assembly ergonomics.
- Create production schedules, yield targets, and line balancing strategies aligned with rollout plans.
- Drive cost-down initiatives, process productivity improvement, and yield optimisation over lifecycle.
Quality Assurance & Quality Control
- Establish and enforce QA/QC processes, including incoming inspection, in-line testing, end-of-line testing, burn-in testing, calibration, and packaging inspection.
- Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs), work instructions (WI), and test protocols for production lines.
- Monitor and ensure compliance with relevant standards (e.g., CE, UKCA, FCC, IEC 60601-1, ISO 13485 where applicable).
- Own failure analysis, root-cause analysis (RCA), CAPA, and continuous improvement programs.
- Track quality metrics (FPY, DPPM, RMA rates, lifecycle defect rates) and report to leadership.
Supply Chain & Vendor Management
- Coordinate supply chain readiness including component sourcing, lead time planning, logistics, and inventory control.
- Negotiate manufacturing and component pricing aligned with COGS and gross margin objectives.
- Ensure compliance with ethical sourcing, sustainability, and lifecycle traceability practices.
Requirements
Essential
- Proven experience taking consumer electronics, wearables, medical devices, or IoT devices from prototype to mass production.
- Deep understanding of hardware manufacturing processes, including plastics, textiles, electronics assembly, and sensor integration.
- Strong background in manufacturing QA/QC systems, reliability testing, FMEA, SPC, DOE, and quality frameworks.
- Experience managing external manufacturing partners, EMS/CMs, and global supply chains.
- Familiarity with certification and regulatory processes for consumer electronics and/or health-related products.
- Demonstrated ability to lead in fast-paced startup environments with cross-functional dependencies.
Preferred
- Experience with wearable device manufacturing, miniature electronics, or neurotechnology/biomedical devices.
- Knowledge of ISO 9001, ISO 13485, IEC 60601-1, or equivalent quality systems.
- Experience in ramp-up manufacturing management achieving >95% FPY.
- Hands-on experience with fabric integration, electrode materials, biopotential sensors is a plus.
Key Attributes
- Operational leadership with a pragmatic, data-driven mindset.
- Strong decision-making under uncertainty with ownership and accountability.
- Attention to detail while maintaining scalability and cost discipline.
- Able to balance speed of execution with quality and regulatory expectations.
What We Offer
- Opportunity to shape a first-of-its-kind neurofeedback product impacting mental well-being at scale.
- Leadership role in manufacturing strategy and organisational growth.
- Competitive compensation package with equity options based on experience.
- Flexible working culture with travel to manufacturing partners as needed.
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