General Manager – NPI & Factory Quality

Role Overview

This is a senior leadership role at the intersection of New Product Introduction (NPI) and Factory Quality. The General Manager will serve as the primary bridge between NOISE’s product management teams, component vendors, and EMS (Electronics Manufacturing Services) partners – ensuring every new product launch lands on time, at the right quality, and with the right manufacturing process. Equally, this person will own end-to-end factory quality governance for all products manufactured at partner EMS facilities.

The role demands someone who has lived the complexity of high-velocity consumer electronics launches and understands how to drive discipline across a multi-partner manufacturing ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

1. New Product Introduction (NPI) Management

• Own the end-to-end NPI calendar across all product categories – Smartwatches, TWS/OWS Earbuds, Cables & Accessories – ensuring launches occur on defined timelines.
• Act as the single point of coordination between Product Managers, component vendors, and EMS partners for every new launch.
• Ensure all Bill of Materials (BOM), SOPs, assembly processes, test procedures, and quality checkpoints are transferred to EMS partners ahead of production.
• Conduct readiness reviews at EMS facilities prior to each launch – covering tooling, jigs, line setup, operator training, and process validation.
• Track and escalate launch risks proactively; maintain NPI milestone trackers and report status to leadership on a weekly basis.
• Drive adherence to EVT / DVT / PVT gates and ensure sign-off criteria are met before mass production release.
• Work closely with NOISE’s design and engineering teams to ensure manufacturability (DFM/DFA) feedback is incorporated early in product development.

2. EMS Partner Development & Manufacturing Expansion

• Lead identification, evaluation, and onboarding of new EMS partners in India for categories currently manufactured offshore.
• Assess EMS capability across SMT, final assembly, testing, and packaging for consumer electronics products.
• Support costing negotiations with EMS partners – providing manufacturing cost benchmarks, value analysis, and MVA (Manufacturing Value Addition) inputs.
• Drive the roadmap to expand India-manufactured categories year-on-year, aligned with NOISE’s Make-in-India strategy.
• Build and maintain a structured EMS capability matrix across current and potential partners.
• Work with finance and procurement to ensure manufacturing cost competitiveness without compromising quality thresholds.

3. Factory Quality Management

• Own factory quality governance across all EMS partners – ensuring every unit leaving the factory meets NOISE’s defined quality standards.
• Define, implement, and audit in-process quality control (IPQC) and outgoing quality control (OQC) processes at each EMS site.
• Establish and maintain quality benchmarks for Defects Per Million (DPM), First Pass Yield (FPY), and field return rates by product category.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective action / preventive action (CAPA) for all quality escapes identified at factory or in the field.
• Implement Statistical Process Control (SPC) tools and drive data-driven quality improvement at the shop floor level.
• Manage the factory quality team on-ground; build capability within the team for process audits, line inspection, and reliability testing.
• Interface with NOISE’s post-sales quality team to close the feedback loop between field failures and factory process improvements.

4. Stakeholder Management & Governance

• Maintain strong working relationships with EMS counterparts at the GM / Plant Head level.
• Present NPI and quality performance dashboards to NOISE leadership on a regular cadence.
• Ensure all SOPs, process documents, and quality records are maintained and accessible in NOISE’s document management systems.
• Drive compliance with BIS, legal metrology, and other applicable regulatory requirements from a manufacturing quality standpoint.

What We Are Looking For

Must-Have Qualifications

• 10–14 years of experience in NPI, manufacturing engineering, or factory quality roles.
• Mandatory background in Consumer Electronics – specifically Mobility (smartphones/feature phones), Smart TVs, Wearables, or Hearables.
• Proven experience managing launches in a multi-EMS or multi-site manufacturing environment.
• Deep hands-on knowledge of SMT lines, final assembly processes, functional testing, and packaging for consumer electronics.
• Strong command of quality frameworks: APQP, PPAP, FMEA, SPC, 8D, CAPA.
• Experience working with China-based vendors / ODMs for component sourcing or technology transfer.
• Excellent project management skills with experience running concurrent NPI programmes across categories.
• Comfortable working at factory locations with frequent travel to EMS sites across India.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in a high-velocity consumer electronics brand (e.g., Xiaomi, Samsung, boAt, Motorola, TCL, Realme, or similar).
• Exposure to CKD / SKD manufacturing models and technology transfer from China to India.
• Familiarity with India-specific compliance frameworks: BIS, ICDR, Legal Metrology.
• Experience evaluating and onboarding new EMS partners from greenfield or capability-gap assessments.
• MBA or post-graduate qualification in Operations, Supply Chain, or Engineering Management (preferred, not mandatory).

Core Competencies

• Cross-functional leadership – ability to align product, procurement, supply chain, and manufacturing teams.
• Execution rigor – a track record of on-time launches with structured milestone management.
• Quality mindset – data-driven, process-oriented, zero-compromise on outgoing quality.
• Commercial acumen – ability to engage in costing discussions with EMS partners with confidence.
• Communication – equally comfortable on the factory floor and in leadership reviews.