Sourcing Manager Online & NPD (Alibaba)

About the Role

This is the person who turns a new-product idea into real, sourced supply. As Sourcing Manager — NPD, you own sourcing for everything we launch next — from spotting the right product and the right factory, to sampling, costing and getting it production-ready. Youll live in the global supply base, sourcing online through platforms like Alibaba and on the ground at trade fairs, and youll run the whole cross-functional effort that takes a product from concept to shelf.

Its a hands-on, execution-heavy role for someone who is equal parts product hunter, negotiator and coordinator — comfortable doing the market research, finding the vendor, closing the deal, and then driving design, quality and supply chain to hit the launch date.

Key Responsibilities

Sourcing & Market Research

• Source new products for the launch pipeline through online platforms (Alibaba and similar), manufacturers and OEM/ODM factories, in India and overseas
• Run market and trend research to spot the right products, categories and whitespace, and translate them into sourcing plans
• Attend trade fairs and expos (Canton Fair, kids and lifestyle expos) to find new products, vendors and emerging trends

Vendor Development & Negotiation

• Identify, evaluate, onboard and develop vendors; run factory audits and regular vendor visits
• Lead commercial negotiations — pricing, MOQs, payment terms, lead times, contracts and cost modelling
• Build dual-sourcing and a resilient supplier base to protect cost, quality and continuity

Product Development to Launch

• Drive the full development cycle with design and quality: brief → concept → sampling → costing → launch, on time and on budget
• Manage sampling and approvals, and get products production-ready before mass production
• Make trade-off calls between cost, quality and price, and protect margin targets

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Coordinate across design, quality, supply chain, marketing and operations to land launches well and hit dates
• Support catalogue readiness — packaging, artwork, branding and launch content follow-ups
• Track post-launch performance and cost, and feed learnings into the next cycle

What Were Looking For

• 4–8 years in sourcing, NPD, procurement or category/supply chain roles, ideally in consumer products, D2C, retail or houseware/kids/lifestyle categories
• Hands-on global sourcing experience, including online platforms (Alibaba and similar) and importing or private-labelling products
• A proven record of taking products from concept to launch — not just managing an existing line
• Strong negotiation, costing and vendor-development skills
• Comfortable running cross-functional projects across design, quality and supply chain
• Willing to travel to suppliers, factories and trade fairs, domestic and international
• Structured, self-driven and able to turn ambiguity into an executable plan, with a genuine eye for product

Why This Role Matters

Great new products at the right cost are how we grow. This role decides what we source next and who makes it turning ideas into launched products that families love, at a cost and quality that let us scale profitably.