About the role

The Vice President / Sr. Director of ESI will found, build, and lead Hi-P's Early Supplier Involvement organization based in Silicon Valley. This is a senior leadership hire with global scope: the candidate will own the ESI strategy, hire and develop a team of ESI engineers and technical account managers in California and the US Northeast. Success in this role means embedding Hi-P engineers in customer design reviews 12-24 months before mass production, shaping product architectures around Hi-P's vertical capabilities, and converting early influence into sustainable, high-margin program wins. The candidate will be measured on design-win pipeline, NPI-to-MP conversion, customer satisfaction at the engineering level, and revenue from accounts where ESI was engaged pre-tape-out.
Key Responsibilities: Define and execute Hi-P's ESI go-to-market strategy across consumer electronics, wearables, IoT, medical devices, and emerging AI hardware segments. Build the ESI organization from the ground up: hire 3-4 Silicon Valley-based and 1-2 Northeast-based ESI technical account managers. Establish operating cadence, KPIs, customer engagement playbooks, and design-win governance with the CMO, Head of Sales, and BU general managers. Personally own executive and chief-engineer relationships at top-tier US OEMs and adjacent AI hardware leaders. Lead pre-RFQ engagements: joint design reviews, DFM/DFA workshops, tooling strategy sessions, materials selection, and prototype build planning. Translate customer technical roadmaps into Hi-P capability investments and capacity plans, working with global engineering and operations leadership. Commercial & program ownership Own the ESI design-win pipeline; drive conversion from concept engagement to NPI award to mass-production revenue. Partner with sales and BU leaders on quoting strategy, value-engineering proposals, and commercial structures that monetize early-stage involvement. Represent ESI in executive QBRs with customers and at internal Hi-P leadership reviews. Cross-functional leadership Build a tight operating bridge with Suzhou, and Chengdu engineering centers so customer commitments made in Silicon Valley are executed flawlessly. Champion the voice of the customer inside Hi-P; influence capability roadmap, equipment investment, and process technology development. Develop direct reports as next-generation engineering and commercial leaders for Hi-P's US presence.
Education: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials Science, or related discipline. MBA or advanced engineering degree preferred.
Experience: 15+ years total, including at least 5 years in a customer-facing engineering or commercial leadership role at a Tier-1 EMS / ODM / contract manufacturer OR equivalent supplier-facing leadership experience inside a Tier-1 OEM.Domain depth: Demonstrable fluency in precision injection molding, precision metal stamping, tooling design, surface finishing, mechatronic assembly, and DFM/DFA principles. Must be able to credibly engage with senior product designers and mechanical leads at top OEMs. Track record: Documented history of winning multi-hundred-million-dollar programs through pre-RFQ engineering engagement; strong personal network among R&D, NPI, and supply-chain decision-makers at one or more of: Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Tesla, Nvidia, or comparable hardware-led companies. Leadership: Proven success building and leading geographically distributed teams; experience operating across US-Asia time zones and cultures. Communication: Outstanding written and spoken English; ability to present credibly to customer C-suite and chief engineers.
Preferred Qualifications: Working proficiency in Mandarin Chinese. Prior experience as an ESI / NPI / Customer Engineering leader at a competitor EMS/ODM.Experience launching new product programs in medical devices (ISO 13485) or automotive (IATF 16949) in addition to consumer electronics. Hands-on experience with vertically integrated manufacturing models (combining plastics, metals, and electronics in a single program).Existing US work authorization; no sponsorship required.

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JOB OVERVIEW

Experience level

Manager

Location

Cupertino, CA

Occupation

Supply Chain Managers

Industry

Other Electronic Component Manufacturing

Posted

yesterday

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