Supply chain manager

About the role I'm building SilverM8, a premium longevity supplement brand launching into the US market. I need an experienced supply chain manager who can own everything between my factory and my US fulfillment partners — and make sure nothing falls through the cracks. This is a full-time contractor role (40 hrs/week), reporting directly to the founder. Compliance is handled separately by an attorney — you focus on operations. What you'll own Factory management: make sure my manufacturer is the right one, hold them accountable on quality, communication, and delivery Sourcing: find and vet additional factories for custom items (packaging, accessories, inserts) when needed Quality control: independently test product samples through third-party labs, verify what's in the bag matches the spec Product verification: taste, smell, and physically inspect samples yourself — don't rely on the factory's word Inventory planning: make sure we have what we need, when we need it, no surprises Packaging coordination: work with our designer to prepare custom packaging files for the factory, manage that handoff Shipment coordination: factory → freight forwarder → US 3PL — ensure smooth handoffs at every stage Stakeholder alignment: keep factory, freight forwarder, 3PL, designer, and founder all on the same page Documentation: COA, dimensions, weights, pallet specs, master carton specs — get and verify everything Must-have experience 5+ years managing supply chains for physical product brands Direct experience with Chinese manufacturers — knows how to push, when to escalate, how to verify Hands-on with third-party lab testing for supplements or food/beverage (which labs, what to test for, how to read results) Quality control mindset — assumes nothing, verifies everything Experience with custom packaging projects (working with designers, file prep, factory specs) Freight forwarder + 3PL coordination experience Strong written English, comfortable across China + US + EU time zones Nice to have Dietary supplement industry experience specifically Existing third-party lab contacts (NSF, Eurofins, Covance, or similar) Sourcing experience for custom drinking bottles, rigid boxes, sachets, inserts DTC ecommerce launch experience About SilverM8 Pre-launch longevity supplement brand for adults 50+. Wyoming-based LLC, founder based in Dubai. Product is a daily powder sachet (currently sampling two factories in China). Custom packaging by an external design agency. First inventory drop ~3,000 units. To apply, please include: Brief intro — why this role and why you Two specific examples of supply chain situations you've owned: one where you caught a quality issue before it shipped, and one where you managed a complex multi-stakeholder shipment from China to a US 3PL Which third-party labs you've worked with and what you've tested Your monthly rate Earliest start date Generic AI-written proposals will be ignored. Quick notes before you post: Realistic budget: strong supply chain managers for this scope run $35–80/hr on Upwork ($5,600–$12,800/month at 40 hrs). Top-tier with supplement-specific experience can hit $100/hr+. Anyone bidding under $25/hr is inexperienced or outsourcing. The "two specific examples" question is your filter. Real supply chain people answer with details: "Brand X, container of Y, caught Z issue, here's what I did." Anyone who fluffs gets ignored. Important honest flag: this role and the compliance advisor role have overlap on things like factory FDA registration, COA review, and supplement labeling. Make sure your two hires know the line. Cleanest way: have an intro call between them once both are onboarded so they don't step on each other or leave gaps. You may not need full-time 40 hrs/week immediately. First 4–6 weeks will be intense (factory selection, sample testing, shipment planning). After launch, this could drop to 15–20 hrs/week. Worth being clear with candidates that the role starts full-time and may shift to retainer post-launch — that's an attractive offer for senior people who don't want only a short project. Want me to also draft a one-line WhatsApp / DM version you can send directly to good candidates you find through the search filters (DSHEA / FDA / supplement supply chain), so you're not just waiting on Upwork applications?