Fractional COO — DanKen Industries
Product Development, Manufacturing, Supply Chain & Operations Execution
Location: Remote / Global
Focus Regions: United States + Dominican Republic + China / Global Suppliers
Type: Fractional / Ongoing / Milestone-Based
Compensation: Limited Startup Base + Incentives / Performance Bonuses
About DanKen Industries
DanKen Industries is an early-stage product manufacturing startup focused on building a cross-border product development, sourcing, manufacturing, and U.S. distribution model.
Our primary focus is luxury furniture, smart furniture, and mechanized furniture, including upholstered beds, smart beds, sofas, sectionals, electric recliners, mattresses, smart bedroom sets, home theater seating, and commercial / hospitality furniture.
Furniture features may include electric recline, Bluetooth speakers, USB / Type-C charging, wireless charging, LED lighting, touch controls, fireplaces, TV lifts, adjustable mechanisms, power motion, wiring systems, and other smart or mechanized components.
We also have secondary product categories that we plan to work on over time, including custom 4-seat and 6-seat electric golf carts, golf cart parts/accessories, wheels, rims, tires, and related aftermarket or private-label opportunities. Furniture remains the main priority, but these secondary categories may become part of the long-term operating platform.
Our intended model will include:
- China / global sourcing for materials, mechanisms, electronics, smart components, hardware, tooling, machinery, golf cart parts, wheels, rims, tires, and specialty production inputs
- Dominican Republic contract/toll manufacturing, assembly, fabrication support, upholstery, sample production, QC, packaging, export preparation, and possible future in-house production
- U.S. sales, distribution, customer delivery, dealer/distributor channels, wholesale, retail, commercial, hospitality, and future showroom/warehouse operations
Role Overview
We are seeking a hands-on Fractional COO to help build, structure, manage, and execute DanKen Industries from the startup stage into scalable operations.
This is not a passive advisory role. We need an operating partner who can help turn product ideas, product development plans, sourcing opportunities, supplier relationships, manufacturing concepts, production workflows, logistics plans, and execution priorities into a structured operating business.
The right candidate should be comfortable wearing multiple hats across product development coordination, manufacturing planning, sourcing, supply chain, contract/toll manufacturing, cost control, quality control, logistics, project management, workflows, dashboards, SOPs, reporting, and accountability.
This person will help oversee the full chain from idea → product development → sourcing → samples → production readiness → manufacturing → distribution → scale.
Key Responsibilities
The selected candidate’s duties will include, but will not be limited to:
- Building the company’s operating structure, departments, roles, reporting systems, and execution roadmap
- Creating a practical launch plan for luxury furniture, smart furniture, mechanized furniture, mattresses, and related home products
- Coordinating designers, engineers, CAD specialists, product development specialists, sourcing reps, vendors, factories, logistics contacts, and future team members
- Supporting product development from concept to sample-ready and production-ready
- Helping organize product briefs, drawings, BOMs, material specs, supplier options, cost sheets, QC checklists, sample instructions, revision tracking, and production-readiness documents
- Supporting luxury/smart furniture development, including beds, sofas, recliners, mattresses, sectionals, home theater seating, and furniture with electrical, electronic, or mechanized features
- Supporting sourcing for smart furniture components such as recline systems, actuators, adjustable bases, Bluetooth modules, LED lighting, USB / Type-C charging, wireless charging, fireplaces, TV lifts, control panels, wiring harnesses, and power supplies
- Supporting golf cart, wheels/rims/tires sourcing and development where needed as secondary categories
- Structuring China/global sourcing, RFQs, quote comparisons, factory vetting, supplier scorecards, backup suppliers, and negotiation strategy
- Helping develop Dominican Republic contract/toll manufacturing, assembly, sample production, pilot production, QC planning, and production-readiness workflows
- Building logistics strategy across China/global suppliers → Dominican Republic production → United States distribution
- Building cost models, unit economics, BOM review, target cost tracking, landed cost tracking, margin protection, and cost-reduction plans
- Helping identify and onboard future specialists, vendors, contractors, sourcing support, QC support, product development support, and production managers
These are some of the responsibilities and duties involved with this role, but the scope may expand as the company develops.
Initial Phase Objective
DanKen Industries is still in the early startup planning and development stage. We do not yet have a finalized execution plan in place.
The purpose of this role is to help us build that plan from the ground up.
The selected candidate should help turn our current business vision, product categories, sourcing ideas, manufacturing concepts, and sales/distribution goals into a clear execution roadmap.
We are not looking for someone to simply follow a prebuilt plan. We need someone who can help build the plan, validate the strategy, organize execution, and prepare the business for samples and initial production.
Ideal Candidate
Strong preference for someone with experience in several of the following:
- Fractional COO, Operations Director, General Manager, Operating Partner, Head of Operations, or similar leadership role
- Startup or early-stage company building
- Product development management
- Furniture, smart furniture, motion furniture, electric recliners, adjustable beds, mattresses, sofas, sectionals, or home furnishings
- Golf carts, low-speed electric vehicles, wheels, rims, tires, automotive accessories, or mechanical/electrical products
- OEM/private-label product development
- China/global sourcing, RFQs, supplier vetting, and factory coordination
- Dominican Republic, Caribbean, Latin America, or global manufacturing operations
- Toll manufacturing, contract manufacturing, outsourced production, logistics, import/export, and landed-cost analysis
- Cost reduction, BOM review, unit economics, dashboards, SOPs, workflows, and accountability systems
- Dealer, distributor, B2B, retail, hospitality, commercial, wholesale, or sales channel development is helpful but not required
We are looking for someone practical, hands-on, execution-focused, and capable of helping build DanKen Industries from idea → structure → product development → sourcing → samples → production → distribution → scale.
Best regards,
Daniel
DanKen Industries
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