Profile
Steve Lee
Global manufacturing, quality & sourcing leader — 15+ years running OEM/ODM production of diverse consumer products across Asia.
I build quality and compliance programs that work across suppliers and borders — direct sourcing from some 200 factories, factory audits and CAPA, testing and certification for major U.S. retailers, and the digital workflows that keep it all visible. Working across English, Chinese and Korean contexts.
Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten
— Aldo Gucci
Track record, measured.
Figures as of 12/31/25
- 6,000+
- Products (SKUs) managed
- 57
- Product categories
- 196
- Suppliers across Asia
- 618
- Test reports
- 964
- Certifications obtained
- 305
- Factory audits conducted
- 90%+
- Testing failure rate reduction
- +15%
- Operational efficiency gain
- +20%
- Audit pass rate improvement
Experience
Two most recent roles.
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2019.08 — PresentDirector of Quality & Compliance Lifeworks Technology Group, LLC · New York, NY
Leads quality assurance, regulatory compliance and global sourcing & manufacturing for consumer electronics, home fitness, automotive accessories and sporting goods — also directing OEM/ODM factory production across some 200 partners in China, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines. Retail compliance for Walmart, Amazon, BJ’s and Costco; 400+ new SKUs a year. Built the team's in-house PLM/QMS-level platform.
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2012.01 — 2019.08Director of Sourcing Imagine Nation Books & Gifts d/b/a Collective Goods™ · Louisville, CO
Established and led a China-based sourcing and QA office — moving from intermediaries to direct engagement with 20+ factories, and running NPI and seasonal production for 400+ SKUs a year for the U.S. market.
Earlier, I held a range of roles across different industries. For the full history, request my resume.
Request resumeExpertise
About my expertise-
01
Supplier quality management
Factory QA/QC, CAPA execution and supplier quality across some 200 OEM/ODM partners in China, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines.
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02
Regulatory compliance & certification
CPSIA, FCC, ASTM, UL, FDA, Prop 65, RoHS and CE/UKCA — defining test protocols, labeling and packaging compliance, and meeting Walmart, Amazon, Target, Costco and Best Buy standards.
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03
Product safety & risk mitigation
Structured root-cause analysis and CAPA on safety escalations; cut testing failure rates by over 90% on Walmart programs through better factory–lab communication and pre-test validation.
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04
Global sourcing & NPI readiness
Direct-factory sourcing strategy and manufacturing readiness — vendor selection, tooling, BOM accuracy, pilot builds and ramp — for 400+ SKUs a year.
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05
Quality digitalization & AI
Built an in-house PLM/QMS-level platform — inspection app, supplier and certification tracking, production workflow and AI compliance agents. Verified ClickUp Power User.
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06
Cross-cultural operations leadership
Leading teams, factories and retail partners across the U.S. and Asia — fluent Korean, conversational Chinese, basic Spanish.
Qualifications & certifications
View all
Selected work
Mostly modules of one in-house PLM/QMS-level platform.
Let’s talk quality.
Roles, collaborations or a conversation about quality programs — all welcome.