Factory Development Manager (Plush Toy/ Garment/ Textile/ Footwear)

To aid the setup and development of new manufacturing facilities within company's sourcing network, ensuring factories are established with the right capacity, technical capability, and operational systems to meet company's quality, efficiency, and compliance standards. The role represents Production Planning interests during factory onboarding, ensuring that capacity planning, process flow design, and production readiness are optimised from the start.
Key Responsibilities
Factory Setup & Development
•​ Assist the end-to-end process of new factory setup - from feasibility study and layout planning to production launch readiness.
•​ Work with engineering, quality, CSR and operations teams to design optimal production process flows, factory layouts, and capacity plans.
•​ Define and implement production control systems and reporting structures for newly onboarded factories.
•​ Develop SOPs covering planning, scheduling, material control, and performance tracking in alignment with Jellycat standards.
•​ Support technical evaluation of new factories - including equipment, workforce readiness, and production capability.
Production Planning Integration
•​ Represent Production Planning in all factory development discussions and ensure capacity, forecasting, and delivery planning are embedded from the start.
•​ Analyse product mix, forecast data, and lead times to ensure realistic and efficient startup plans.
•​ Build and validate capacity models for each new site; ensure alignment between planned output and actual capability.
Process & Systems Implementation
•​ Establish material control, warehouse flow, and logistics processes to ensure smooth inbound and outbound management.
•​ Guide factories in implementing planning tools, dashboards, and performance metrics.
•​ Identify gaps in planning or inventory systems and coordinate corrective actions prior to handover to ongoing production teams.
Performance & Continuous Improvement
•​ Monitor early-stage performance of new factories, tracking productivity, efficiency, on-time delivery and material utilisation.
•​ Lead root cause analysis for startup issues (capacity constraints, delays, quality issues) and implement corrective measures.
•​ Develop and train local factory teams in production planning best practices and performance management.
Stakeholder Management
•​ Act as the key liaison between Jellycat's Production, Technical, and Sourcing teams and the factory management.
•​ Ensure alignment with Group strategy for production diversification and risk management.
•​ Support the transition from setup phase to full operational phase, handing over to the regional production or planning lead once stable.