New Product Development (NPD) Coordinator

eJam•Santa Ana, CA

18h•Onsite

About The Position

eJam is a bootstrapped consumer products company that has built, scaled, and exited multiple brands. We are looking for a Product Development Coordinator to drive new product development across our portfolio. This is a hands-on role at the center of our product pipeline. You will research new SKU opportunities, evaluate categories and competitive landscapes, coordinate with manufacturers (including overseas), manage packaging development with our design team, and present progress to leadership weekly. You will be the person who takes a product from idea through production-ready, owning the research, vendor coordination, sample management, design approvals, and timeline tracking. You will work directly with the CEO and cross-functionally across multiple brands from day one. Mandarin fluency is required for this role as you will communicate directly with overseas manufacturers and suppliers in China and our Shanghai office on a regular basis.

Requirements

Fluent in Mandarin Chinese (spoken and written).
2–4 years of experience in product development, sourcing, or product coordination in consumer products, CPG, eCommerce, or DTC.
Experience working with overseas manufacturers, ideally in China, and understanding the sourcing and production workflow.
Experience with Amazon product research tools (Helium 10, Jungle Scout, or similar).
Experience using project management tools daily (ClickUp, Asana, Monday.com, or similar).
Clear communication in writing and in person.
Experience coordinating across multiple teams or departments (sourcing, design, marketing, external vendors).
High attention to detail.
Comfortable presenting to leadership and holding the room accountable on timelines.

Nice To Haves

Experience with packaging development (dielines, print specs, materials, and vendor coordination).
Familiarity with compliance or regulatory documentation (FDA, FTC, EPA, etc.).
Knowledge of PIM systems or product information management.
Previous experience at a brand incubator, Amazon aggregator, or multi-brand portfolio company.
Experience with retail buyer requirements and retail-ready packaging.

Responsibilities

Research New Product Opportunities using tools like Helium 10, Jungle Scout, and similar platforms to identify high-potential SKUs and category opportunities across Amazon, DTC, and retail.
Conduct competitive research including pricing, features, positioning, packaging, reviews, and gaps in the market.
Compile category analyses and present findings to leadership with clear recommendations.
Maintain organized files of benchmarks, specs, market data, and reference materials.
Manage the Product Development Pipeline using ClickUp for Kanban boards, project lists, status updates, and timelines across all active SKUs.
Track all active development projects and keep deliverables on schedule.
Surface blockers early, flag slippage before it becomes a fire, and keep cross-functional teams aligned.
Own the accuracy of project documentation.
Coordinate with Manufacturers & Vendors, communicating directly with manufacturers in China (in Mandarin) on pricing, samples, specs, timelines, and production issues.
Manage the RFQ process: solicit quotes, organize vendor responses, maintain comparison documents.
Coordinate sample shipments, evaluate quality, and manage the feedback loop with manufacturers.
Track compliance documentation and product testing requirements.
Maintain vendor communication logs and track progress across SKUs.
Drive Packaging & Design by working with the design team on packaging concepts, dielines, and creative assets.
Manage the design approval process, routing concepts through stakeholders, collecting feedback, and pushing to final approval.
Coordinate with printers and packaging vendors on specs, proofs, and production timelines.
Present to Leadership Weekly by preparing and delivering a weekly product development presentation to management.
Ensure decision-makers have what they need to make calls.
Cover project status, milestones hit, blockers, timeline changes, and key decisions needed.
Distribute meeting notes, action items, and follow-ups.
Be the Communication Hub by coordinating with designers, vendors, manufacturers, and internal teams to keep every deliverable on track.
Work with external partners on samples, proofs, timelines, and production schedules.
Follow up relentlessly to ensure things get done.