Junior Product Developer

Location: On-Site — Santa Ana, CA (this is not a hybrid or remote role)
Compensation: $55,000 – $72,000
MUST: Fluent in Mandarin

About Us

eJam is a bootstrapped consumer products company that has built, scaled, and exited multiple brands — all without ever taking a dollar of outside capital. Our portfolio includes category leaders ranked at the top of Amazon, carried in major retailers nationwide, and sold across DTC, marketplaces, and every channel in between.

We’re not a startup hoping something works. We’re a team that has done it repeatedly — taken products from zero to eight figures, landed them on retail shelves nationwide, and built real brands that consumers love. We operate like a holding company with the speed of a startup: small team, no bureaucracy, massive ownership.

This is the place where you’ll see the entire machine — sourcing, product development, packaging, manufacturing, compliance, marketing, marketplace strategy, retail — all under one roof. If you want to learn how consumer products actually get built and shipped at scale, there is no faster education than this.

The Role

We’re looking for a Product Developer to drive new product development across our portfolio. This is a hands-on role at the center of our product pipeline — you’ll research new SKU opportunities, evaluate categories and competitive landscapes, coordinate with manufacturers (including overseas), manage packaging development with our design team, and present progress to leadership weekly.

You’ll be the person who takes a product from idea through production-ready — owning the research, vendor coordination, sample management, design approvals, and timeline tracking that make it happen. You’ll work directly with the CEO and cross-functionally across multiple brands from day one.

Mandarin (Mandarin Chinese) fluency is required for this role — you will communicate directly with overseas manufacturers and suppliers in China and our office in Shanghai on a regular basis.

What You'll Do Everyday

Research New Product Opportunities

• Use tools like Helium 10, Jungle Scout, and similar platforms to identify high-potential SKUs and category opportunities across Amazon, DTC, and retail
• Conduct competitive research — pricing, features, positioning, packaging, reviews, and gaps in the market
• Compile category analyses and present findings to leadership with clear recommendations
• Maintain organized files of benchmarks, specs, market data, and reference materials

Manage the Product Development Pipeline

• Own the product pipeline in ClickUp — Kanban boards, project lists, status updates, and timelines across all active SKUs
• Track all active development projects and keep deliverables on schedule
• Surface blockers early, flag slippage before it becomes a fire, and keep cross-functional teams aligned
• Own the accuracy of project documentation — if it’s in the system, it’s correct and current

Coordinate with Manufacturers & Vendors

• Communicate directly with manufacturers in China (in Mandarin) on pricing, samples, specs, timelines, and production issues
• Manage the RFQ process: solicit quotes, organize vendor responses, maintain comparison documents
• Coordinate sample shipments, evaluate quality, and manage the feedback loop with manufacturers
• Track compliance documentation and product testing requirements
• Maintain vendor communication logs and track progress across SKUs

Drive Packaging & Design

• Work with the design team on packaging concepts, dielines, and creative assets
• Manage the design approval process — route concepts through stakeholders, collect feedback, push to final approval
• Coordinate with printers and packaging vendors on specs, proofs, and production timelines

Present to Leadership Weekly

• Prepare and deliver a weekly product development presentation to management
• Make sure decision-makers have what they need to make calls — not scrambling for data in the room
• Cover project status, milestones hit, blockers, timeline changes, and key decisions needed
• Distribute meeting notes, action items, and follow-ups — everyone knows what they owe and when

Be the Communication Hub

• Coordinate with designers, vendors, manufacturers, and internal teams to keep every deliverable on track
• Work with external partners on samples, proofs, timelines, and production schedules
• Follow up relentlessly — you are the person who makes sure things get done

Requirements

YOU'RE A FIT IF

• You are fluent in Mandarin Chinese (spoken and written) — this is a hard requirement
• You have 2–4 years of experience in product development, sourcing, or product coordination in consumer products, CPG, eCommerce, or DTC
• You’ve worked with overseas manufacturers — ideally in China — and understand the sourcing and production workflow
• You’re experienced with Amazon product research tools (Helium 10, Jungle Scout, or similar)
• You’ve used project management tools daily — ClickUp, Asana, Monday.com, or similar
• You communicate clearly in writing and in person — no one has to chase you for updates
• You’ve coordinated across multiple teams or departments (sourcing, design, marketing, external vendors)
• You have high attention to detail — a messy project board or an incorrect spec keeps you up at night
• You’re comfortable presenting to leadership and holding the room accountable on timelines

BONUS POINTS (NOT REQUIRED)

• Experience with packaging development — dielines, print specs, materials, and vendor coordination
• Familiarity with compliance or regulatory documentation (FDA, FTC, EPA, etc.)
• Knowledge of PIM systems or product information management
• Previous experience at a brand incubator, Amazon aggregator, or multi-brand portfolio company
• Experience with retail buyer requirements and retail-ready packaging

THIS ROLE IS NOT FOR YOU IF

• You want to own the product roadmap or lead product strategy — this role executes the roadmap, it doesn’t set it
• You don’t speak Mandarin — this is non-negotiable
• You’re looking for a remote or hybrid position — this is fully on-site in Santa Ana, CA
• You’re coming from software product management and expect to write user stories or run sprints — this is physical product development
• You’d rather be “thinking big” than managing details — this role IS the details

WHAT YOU’LL GET

• Full product lifecycle. Real exposure to how CPG products get built.
• CEO access. Direct access to the CEO. No layers, no politics. You’ll learn how product decisions get made at the top.
• Growth path. As eJam scales, this role scales. Clear path into product development leadership.
• Competitive compensation. $55,000 – $72,000 base + 10% annual performance bonus. Range depends on experience.

Benefits

• Health, Dental & Vision
• 401k Plan
• Performance Bonus 10% of annual salary
• Amazing, Pet-Friendly Office Environment
• Doordash Friday Lunches