Production Manager

White Circle is an AI Safety company building the safety, reliability, and optimization layer for AI systems. The Production Manager will turn creative concepts into physical products by sourcing production partners, managing prototypes and manufacturing, and overseeing budgets, schedules, logistics, and final delivery.

Responsibilities:

• Turn creative ideas from our design team into real physical objects
• Figure out how to manufacture things that don't have an obvious supplier or ready-made solution
• Find factories, workshops, craftspeople, printers, manufacturers, and other production partners around the world
• Work with designers to choose materials, finishes, construction methods, packaging, and production techniques
• Request and compare quotes, samples, prototypes, MOQs, timelines, and manufacturing options
• Own production from the first prototype to the final delivery
• Develop custom merch, clothing, accessories, printed objects, packaging, gifts, event materials, and weird one-off ideas we haven't thought of yet
• Find ways to make something completely custom instead of defaulting to existing merch catalogues
• Review samples and make sure the final result matches the original design
• Manage budgets, production schedules, shipping, customs, and logistics
• Build a network of great manufacturers and specialists we can work with repeatedly

Requirements:

• Based in the US
• Have experience producing physical products from scratch
• Know how to find the right manufacturer when the answer isn't obvious
• Are comfortable contacting dozens of suppliers, asking questions, negotiating, and figuring things out independently
• Understand materials, printing, manufacturing, packaging, and production processes
• Have strong attention to detail and can spot when a sample is slightly wrong
• Can translate a visual idea or rough creative brief into production requirements
• Can manage several suppliers and production timelines at the same time
• Have good taste and understands why the exact material, weight, finish, or packaging matters
• Are fluent in English
• You've worked in fashion, product design, industrial design, publishing, creative production, or a design studio
• You've produced unusual merch, collectibles, objects, packaging, or limited-edition products
• You already have a network of factories, workshops, printers, or manufacturers in the US, Europe, or Asia
• You understand garment production and can work directly with factories rather than print-on-demand merch suppliers
• You've worked with brands where physical products are treated as part of the brand, not promotional giveaways