Vendor & Sourcing Manager (Apparel & Fashion) | Asia

At HireHawk, we connect top global talent with high-performing U.S. companies. Our focus is on finding exceptional professionals who bring both expertise and drive to every role. We’re passionate about helping candidates grow their careers while supporting our clients with reliable, remote-ready talent that makes an impact from day one.

Our client partners with manufacturing teams across Asia to deliver high-quality apparel with strong execution, cost discipline, and reliable production outcomes. This is a role for someone who knows that successful sourcing is built in factories, not just in spreadsheets. You will represent the business directly with factory leaders, internal teams, and regional partners where quality, timing, compliance, and commercial decisions come together.

As Sourcing Manager, you will take ownership of factory partnerships, vendor performance, sourcing operations, production oversight, and supplier development across China, Hong Kong, and key manufacturing regions throughout Asia. You will be the primary bridge between the company and its factory network, helping ensure products are sourced, costed, developed, produced, and delivered with consistency and accountability. This is not a coordinator, QC inspector, logistics, or desk-based sourcing role. It is a senior factory-facing position for someone with strong apparel manufacturing credibility, established supplier relationships, and the confidence to lead complex conversations on the ground.

Responsibilities:

• Own factory-level relationships across Asia, serving as the primary point of contact for vendor communication, negotiations, issue resolution, and performance alignment
• Build trusted partnerships with factory ownership and leadership teams to support quality, cost, delivery, compliance, and long-term sourcing goals
• Conduct regular factory visits across China and other key Asian manufacturing regions to assess operations, resolve risks, and reinforce expectations
• Lead vendor onboarding, factory evaluations, supplier development plans, corrective action follow-up, and performance improvement initiatives
• Identify, evaluate, and qualify new factory partners that meet capacity, quality, compliance, costing, and operational requirements
• Maintain vendor scorecards, factory capability matrices, certifications, audit records, and supplier performance documentation
• Support negotiations for materials, trims, cut-make-trim production, full-package production, and related cost structures
• Monitor production milestones from development through final shipment, flagging risks early and driving practical solutions with factory and internal teams
• Partner with Product Development, Technical Design, Quality Assurance, Operations, Logistics, and Global Sourcing teams to support production readiness and on-time delivery
• Provide clear reporting on production status, vendor performance, factory risks, sourcing opportunities, and regional market conditions

Requirements

Must-Have:

• Fluent English and Mandarin Chinese communication skills

• Must be based in China or Hong Kong, with extensive travel availability throughout China and other key manufacturing regions across Asia
• 10+ years of experience in apparel sourcing, production management, factory operations, or supply chain management, with significant Asia-based experience
• Deep knowledge of apparel manufacturing, fabric construction, garment production processes, material quality, and factory operations
• Strong experience managing factory relationships, vendor performance, costing, negotiation, production planning, and supplier accountability
• Experience working directly with factory ownership or senior leadership teams and day-to-day vendor management at the operational level
• Established factory network across China and broader Asia manufacturing markets
• Experience using PLM, product lifecycle management, product development, or related sourcing and production systems
• Experience working with apparel brands, sourcing offices, buying offices, large manufacturers, or global supply chain organizations
• Strong market knowledge across Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, South Korea, and other Asia manufacturing hubs
• Direct experience managing production for major U.S. wholesale retailers (preferred: Costco, Walmart, Target, Sam's Club, TJX, Kohl's, Macy's, Ross, Burlington, Nordstrom).
• Strong understanding of retailer-specific production requirements, including:
• AQL standards
• Product testing
• Factory compliance
• Product safety
• Packaging requirements
• Color approval / lab dip processes
• Bulk approvals
• Production readiness
• Experience leading pre-production meetings and preventing production issues before manufacturing begins.
• Recent experience supporting large apparel brands, buying offices, sourcing offices, or wholesale organizations with structured sourcing processes.
• Experience managing medium-to-large apparel manufacturing partners rather than primarily small factories.

Nice-to-Have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising, Textile Science, International Business, Supply Chain Management, or a related field
• Experience with social compliance, sustainability audits, or factory certification programs such as WRAP, BSCI, SA8000, or similar standards
• Proficiency in Vietnamese, Khmer, Korean, or another regional Asian language

Benefits

• Access to a $200K+ perk marketplace with discounts on 150+ global services.
• Option to withdraw up to 50% of approved earnings before payday.