Production Subproject Manager (m/f/x)

As Production Subproject Manager, you will drive the coordination of DeepDrive's assembly line build-up at the production site within the greater Shanghai area - managing timelines, budgets, suppliers, and cross-functional dependencies from equipment sourcing through to Run-at-Rate production. You are the person who makes sure the project moves forward on schedule; the deep technical process design itself is owned by our Process Development Manager and Engineering team, whom you'll partner with closely on a daily basis. 

The working place of this role will first be in Shanghai until our production site in the greater Shanghai area is in place. The reporting line is directly to the Plant Manager.

Project Planning & Governance

• Own the project plan and master timeline for our assembly line build-up, tracking milestones, dependencies, and critical path risks

• Set up and run regular project status reviews with process engineering, quality, procurement, and equipment suppliers

• Maintain project budget tracking and flag cost or schedule deviations early to management and German HQ

• Prepare structured project status reporting for management and HQ stakeholders

• Coordinate tooling and tool-design topics with internal engineering stakeholders, ensuring design decisions and timelines are tracked and communicated

Supplier & Stakeholder Coordination

• Act as the primary day-to-day point of contact for contract manufacturers and Tier-1 suppliers on assigned sub-projects, escalating technical questions to Process Development/Engineering as needed

• Coordinate delivery, installation, and commissioning scheduling of production machinery, working from technical specifications defined by process engineering

• Manage cross-site coordination between Ningbo production and process/engineering teams at Shanghai or German HQ, ensuring timeline and decision alignment

Ramp-Up Coordination

• Coordinate resources and remove operational blockers during production ramp-up to help the team reach Run-at-Rate targets

• Track open technical and quality issues raised during commissioning and ramp-up, ensuring timely follow-up ownership by the responsible engineering, quality, or supplier contact

• Monitor and report on key production KPIs (OEE, First Pass Yield, Scrap Rate, cycle time) for assigned lines, in coordination with process engineering

Cost & Risk Tracking

• Maintain cost tracking and reporting visibility for assigned sub-projects, working with process engineering and finance

• Identify and escalate project risks (schedule, supplier, budget) proactively

• 8+ years of experience in project coordination or project management within automotive or industrial manufacturing environments

• Proven experience managing multi-stakeholder project timelines, budgets, and supplier relationships

• Working familiarity with automotive quality frameworks (IATF 16949, APQP, PPAP) sufficient to coordinate effectively with process/quality engineering — deep technical ownership of these standards is not required

• Experience coordinating with Tier-1 automotive suppliers or contract manufacturers

• Comfortable working hands-on at a production site, coordinating between shopfloor teams, engineering, and management

• Project management certification (e.g. PMP) is a plus, not a requirement

• Fluent in Mandarin and English, both verbal and written