EMS Project Manager

Job Description

At Okra Solar, we're on a mission to bring Power to the People by unlocking opportunities through energy access for everyone in the world.

Over 650 million people still live without electricity. At a time where technology such as mobile devices, productive agritech and AI are becoming more accessible than ever, we believe that access to energy is the first step toward opportunity and growth.

That's why we build our Mesh Grid technology that energizes off-grid households at a fraction of the cost of the other solutions. We build the hardware and software, that we sell to local energy companies who deploy our tech to deliver affordable, reliable electricity as a service last-mile communities.

In order to execute on the mission to 100% energy access for all -we are looking for an EMS project manager to be the operational bridge between Okra's engineering team and our EMS partners.

If you're excited about using technology to create tangible impact and want to help shape the future of energy access, you could be the right person to join us.

About the Role

Okra Solar designs mesh-grid solar systems, with several products designed 100% in-house, and manufactures them through a panel of EMS/OEM partners - spanning new product introduction, pilot builds, and high-volume production.

You'll own our OEM projects end-to-end - from quotation and NPI through mass production, materials, and delivery - while continuously driving down cost, keeping our supplier base healthy, and bringing new backup EMS partners onboard.

This is a hands-on, commercially minded project management role for someone fluent in the language of contract manufacturing who is comfortable holding their own in technical conversations with hardware engineers.

Core Responsibilities

EMS / OEM project management

• Own OEM projects across multiple concurrent suppliers, each with a different strategic role (pilot/trial, scale production, backup/leverage).
• Drive New Product Introduction (NPI) from first article through pilot run to mass production - coordinating gate reviews, build schedules, and readiness across engineering, quality, and the EMS.
• Maintain a clear, well-tracked project view (timelines, milestones, risks, open actions) and keep engineering and leadership informed.

Cost management

• Run the RFQ process: prepare packages, obtain and normalise quotes across suppliers, and build clear, apples-to-apples comparisons.
• Break down and challenge cost structures (material, labour, overhead, tooling/NRE, margin); develop should-cost views to support negotiation.
• Negotiate pricing, MOQs, payment and logistics terms, and tooling with EMS partners.
• Own an ongoing cost-down roadmap: reduce manufacturing cost (process, yield, logistics, tooling amortisation, negotiation) and partner with engineering to reduce product/BOM cost (VA/VE, BOM optimisation, alternative components). Track and report realised savings against targets.

Manufacturing coordination

• Act as the single point of contact for EMS partners through production; manage build plans, capacity, ramp, yield, and on-time delivery.
• Coordinate DFM/DFT feedback between EMS and engineering; drive resolution of production issues, quality escapes, and ECO/ECN implementation.

Vendor & supplier-base management

• Own day-to-day EMS relationships; run scorecards, quarterly business reviews, and escalations.
• Continuously scout, evaluate, audit, and onboard new/backup EMS partners to strengthen resilience and negotiation leverage.
• Support supplier qualification and dual-sourcing strategy.

Materials & inventory management

• Assist with tracking component and finished-goods stock across suppliers: buffer stock, long-lead-time and allocation-risk parts, MOQ commitments, and material liability.
• Track EOL/PCN notices and drive last-time-buy or qualified-alternative decisions together with engineering.

Travel

• Regular travel within Shenzhen to meet various EMS companies.
• Occasional inter-city and inter-province travel to meet with other prospective suppliers.

Skills

Required / Necessary

• Managing contract manufacturers/EMS across the full lifecycle (quote → NPI → mass production).
• Strong commercial and negotiation skills, with demonstrated cost-reduction results.
• Excellent project management skills; able to plan, track, and drive multiple parallel projects to schedule.
• Strong data-driven analytical skills and advanced Excel (or equivalent) - comfortable building quote comparisons, "should-cost" structured models, and timeline/progress trackers.
• Solid hardware literacy; able to read a BOM, understand PCBA/SMT processes, and hold credible technical conversations with hardware engineers (deep EE design expertise is not required).
• Materials and inventory management experience, including handling shortages, allocations, and long-lead-time components.
• Excellent communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Fluent Mandarin and English; you'll work with Chinese EMS partners daily and with an English-speaking engineering team.

Nice to Have

• Exposure to supplier quality, IPC standards, and factory audits.
• Familiarity with inventory management frameworks (FIFO) and tools.

Soft Skills

• Willingness to learn: Openness to new knowledge, techniques, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborative mindset: Ability to work effectively with others, lifting teammates up, learning together, and sharing wins and failures.
• Balanced drive: Passionate about your work while maintaining a healthy pace to avoid burnout and sustain excellence.
• Experimentation and adaptability: Comfortable running experiments, learning from results, and adapting quickly to changes.
• Transparency and openness: Open to sharing and receiving ideas and feedback candidly.
• Integrity and respect: Ability to make ethical decisions even during challenges, acting with honesty and respect.
• Strategic mindset - you see beyond the immediate order to supplier strategy, resilience, and long-term cost position.
• Proactive and hands-on - you chase problems down, and you're as comfortable on a factory floor as in a cost model.

Required Experience

Required

• 5+ years in EMS/OEM project management, NPI, manufacturing operations, or supply chain within an electronics hardware environment.
• Demonstrated experience working across different tiers of EMS companies.
• Experience with manufacturing power electronics, solar, energy storage, or similarly component-dense products.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, supply chain, or other related fields.

Nice to Have

• Certification in applicable project management.

Growth Opportunities

• Opportunity to work with tier 2 EMS supplier (比亚迪)
• Working with an international team
• Opportunity to travel annually for company wide hackathons

Benefits At Okra

🕒 Flexible Location & Hours

We're an output-focused organisation, which means that for the most part, you can choose where and when you work as long as your team has been communicated to and is on board with it. Most commonly, we ask everyone to be in the office at least 2 to 3 days a week to foster connections.

📈 Professional Growth

With mentorship from our investors (At One Ventures, Schneider Electric) and a range of experienced leaders and change-makers in our network, you get the opportunity to take on leadership responsibilities.

🛡️ We've Got You Covered

Cover for work travel, health insurance, sick leave, and equipment.

🌴 Unlimited Paid Time Off

We burn bright, not out - we offer unlimited paid time off so you can rest, recharge, support your loved ones, and bring your best self to work.

🌈 Dynamic & Diverse Workplace

You'll work in a fast-paced startup environment with multinational staff - expect to learn a lot while finding creative solutions to complex problems, all while enjoying a great office vibe.

🍼 Flexible Parental Leave

At Okra, we support parents with fully paid, flexible leave: +60 days in Portugal, 120 in Nigeria, up to 178 in China. Take it your way - before or after birth, in blocks or part-time. Your career won't stall; we make sure family and growth go hand in hand.