Client Operations Specialist (Packaging)

Mission

Clients send over large amounts of information across three critical stages — quotation, sampling, and production. Your job is to collect, verify, structure, and relay that information, answer client messages fast, and keep our ERP as the single source of truth.

A missed dimension, wrong Pantone code, or outdated artwork file costs us thousands of dollars and weeks of delay. That's why this role exists.

What You'll Own

1. Client information collection

• Quotation stage: collect complete specs from clients — product type, dimensions, materials, finishes (foil, emboss, spot UV, etc.), print colors, quantities per order, annual volume, dielines, ship-to address/port, target dates. Chase what's missing until the spec is 100% complete.
• Sampling stage: collect final artwork files, confirm sample specs against the quote, collect shipping addresses, coordinate sample dispatch and delivery, track client feedback and approval/revision decisions.
• Production stage: verify final artwork matches approved sample, confirm PO details, quantities, packing/carton requirements, labeling requirements, and shipping details before anything is released to the factory.

2. Client communication

• Answer inbound client messages (email primarily) within agreed SLAs.
• Send structured follow-ups when information is missing — polite, persistent, precise.
• Follow our email conventions (subject format, CC rules) on every thread.
• Draft status updates so clients always know where their project stands.

3. ERP & data hygiene

• Log every meaningful client interaction in our ERP (comms log).
• Keep order statuses, files, and specs current — artwork, dielines, spec sheets attached with correct file types.
• Flag anything ambiguous or contradictory before it moves downstream — never guess.

4. China team liaison

• Translate client requirements into clear, complete production-ready briefs for our internal quoting lead and factory team.
• If you speak Chinese: communicate directly with the China team in Mandarin, and ensure nothing gets lost in translation between client English and factory Chinese.
• Chase internal answers (pricing, lead times, feasibility) so client responses never stall.

What Success Looks Like (first 6 months)

• Zero production errors caused by wrong/missing information handed to the factory.
• Every client email answered within SLA; no thread ever goes stale.
• Quotes turn around faster because specs arrive complete the first time.
• ERP is trusted internally as fully accurate — anyone can open an order and see the true state.
• Shabir is out of the information-collection loop entirely.

Requirements

• Packaging industry experience — you've worked in or with packaging manufacturing or trading. Paper packaging strongly preferred (folding cartons, rigid boxes, corrugated, mailers, labels). Other substrates OK. You know what a dieline, GSM, Pantone, and tolerance are without googling.
• Exceptional attention to detail — this is the #1 hiring criterion. You catch the 2mm discrepancy, the wrong file version, the missing finish callout. Our screening process tests this directly.
• Strong written English — professional, clear, client-facing quality.
• Organized and self-managing — remote role, high volume of parallel threads, nothing gets dropped.
• Timezone: able to work with significant China (GMT+8) overlap plus a few hours of US-client overlap.

Big Plus

• Fluent Chinese (Mandarin), spoken and written — you can talk to our factory team directly. Candidates with strong English + strong Chinese + packaging experience go to the front of the line.
• Experience with ERPs/CRMs and structured process work (SOPs, checklists).
• Experience serving Western (US/EU) e-commerce or consumer-brand clients.

What This Role Is NOT

• Not a cold-calling / lead-gen sales role. You don't hunt; you support live deals and clients.
• Not a design role. You handle files and specs, not creative work.
• Not a passive inbox job. You proactively chase, verify, and close loops.