Brief Summary
The IT Manager at Harbor Freight Tools Asia is a strategic and operational role responsible for partnering with Asia and US business teams on technology solutions to support the company’s fast growth, and overseeing operational support for Asia, including China, ***, and Vietnam. This role is an extension of the headquarter IT department located in the United States of America.
Duties and Responsibilities
? Scope:
o Support the Technology that operates Harbor Freight Tools Asia business operations, including 250 employees in Shanghai (two locations), 50 employees in *** and new operations with 5 employees in Vietnam.
o Management of Asia systems, technologies, IT associates, and IT vendors.
o Be a bridge with US Headquarters IT, Global Sourcing and Product Development teams to help expand our business information flows and optimize our processes.
o Effective budget management ensuring procurement of best value solutions with cost-effective utilization of resources while meeting the technology and business requirements.
? Projects:
o Partner with the US IT, Global Sourcing and Product Development teams to define the vision for new IT Capabilities needed to support the effectiveness of our Asia employees, create a roadmap, requirements and support the implementation and testing of new systems and processes.
o Lead Asia business applications projects: work with the US headquarters team to help optimize and expand the systems supporting Harbor Freight data exchange with its 5,000 Asia suppliers. Especially, work on enabling the business teams traveling to our suppliers’ factories.
o Lead Asia infrastructure projects including, but not limited to, design, implementation, upgrades, and end user device deployments.
o Ensure that Harbor Freight Asia meets the same level of Cybersecurity as the US operations.
? Lead the Asia IT team, providing clear direction, coaching, and mentorship to ensure exceptional customer service and technical support.
o This team currently includes 2 Tech Support resources and, depending on the opportunities, could expand with more resources supporting the Asia business or resources supporting HQ Operations (BI and Reporting, Technology Operations, Coding).
o Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to evaluate team performance.
o Generate regular reports to track progress, identify areas for improvement, and communicate results to stakeholders and senior management.
o Conduct regular performance evaluations for the IT team members, identify improvement areas, offer constructive feedback, and facilitate professional development.
? Operations
o Ensure that all systems and infrastructure needed by the Asia Teams are operating at full capacity and performance.
o Establish lifecycle management of systems, technologies, and end user hardware devices.
o Ensure all technologies and systems comply with security standards, policies, and regulations, including remediating security gaps.
o Oversee the tracking and management of all IT assets, including hardware and software, ensuring accurate procurement, deployment, and retirement records.
o Ensure timely and effective resolution of IT incidents, requests, and problems by providing guidance and expertise to the IT team.
Scope (Required)
? Staff supervision and development — yes
? Decision making – advisor and decision maker based on criteria and scope
? Travel – 5%? The position is based in our Shanghai Jin’an office for 3 days and 2 days per week in our QA center located in Songjiang District. Travel to our *** once per quarter.
? Location— Shanghai, CN
Education (Required)
? Bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent or a minimum of 7+ years equivalent work experience
? Technology industry certifications are a plus (e.g., ITILv4 Foundation, PMP, PRINCE2, CCNA)
Skills (Required)
? Fluent in Mandarin
? Excellent communication skills including written, verbal, listening, and presentation in English
? Experience working in other subsidiaries of western companies and coordinating work with a global IT Team
? Excellent interpersonal skills including a professional and diplomatic demeanor.
? Excellent collaboration skills.
? Self-starter and driven to accomplish goals with limited direction and oversight, while operating within the global framework of IT.
Skills (Preferred / Desired)

? Experience working with Sourcing and QA manufacturing teams.
? Experience with Product Lifecycle management systems and sourcing systems.
? Proficient using standard Microsoft Office 365 collaboration suite.
? Experience with Security.
Experience (Required)
? 5+ years managing IT systems, infrastructure, and support staff.
? 3+ years leading systems and technology projects.
? Previous experience working at an international business required.