Furniture Engineer (Vietnam)

About Branch:

Branch is shaking up the $46B office furniture industry to create an office experience for the 21st century: easy, affordable and flexible so you can sit down (or stand) and get to work.

We're based in NYC and backed by the investors behind household brands like Carta, Caraway and Peloton. Our founders arrive with experience in partnerships, real estate acquisitions and venture building at leading real estate companies like Oxford Properties, SL Green and Redfin. 

We’re an ambitious group of problem solvers innovating across software, design and logistics, and we’re looking for entrepreneurial teammates who like a challenge.

The Role:

The Furniture Engineer (Asia) will play a key role in expanding Branch’s engineering processes and strengthening vendor relationships across China, Southeast Asia, and emerging regions. Reporting to the Senior Furniture Engineer (Asia), this role will drive efficiency in new product development by ensuring seamless collaboration between North American teams and global manufacturing partners.

The ideal candidate will have a passion for engineering, strong technical skills, and experience in furniture design. This individual will support CAD development, collaborate closely with vendors on sample making, maintain design versioning, and manage compliance and performance testing requirements across multiple projects. The Furniture Engineer will also be responsible for documenting and maintaining golden samples for finished goods, as well as standards for color, material, and finish (CMF).

This role supports the Design and Product Development teams in the U.S., along with the Quality Assurance team in Asia, by providing complete and detailed product information throughout the product development lifecycle.

This is an incredible opportunity to help shape the engineering function at a fast-growing, category-defining office furniture brand. If you're passionate about building exceptional products and elevating the way people work every day, we’d love to meet you!

Key responsibilities:

• Create and support 3D and 2D CAD drawings in collaboration with both Design and Engineering team members.
• Work with vendors to revise product drawings as needed and ensure all documentation is updated and maintained in a shared database.
• Oversee the timely construction of furniture samples, ensuring they meet Branch’s design intent, quality standards, and performance requirements.
• Conduct in-house sample testing during development and troubleshoot any technical issues related to design, materials, or construction to ensure product integrity.
• Build strong working relationships with vendor technical and development teams, and provide technical training and requirements to support efficient, high-quality sample execution — especially when onboarding new vendors.
• Collaborate with vendors, the Sr. Furniture Engineer, and U.S. counterparts during sample reviews by preparing and sharing detailed documentation—including product data sheets, review forms, cost breakdowns, CMF panels, and test results—and clearly communicating all sample changes and callouts.
• Under the guidance of the Senior Furniture Engineer, conduct pre-production meetings with each vendor and hand off all final, approved sample documentation to both the vendor and Branch production teams. This includes the finalized product data sheet, sample review form, assembly instructions, signed Master Control Sample (MCS), signed Master Color Panel (MCP), BOM, CAD files, and quality and compliance documentation.
• Verify that all product spec sheets are accurate before sharing with Branch U.S. teams. Assemble products to validate hardware specifications and assembly steps, and communicate any required updates to the Design team for proper documentation and release.
• Support and supervise first pilot runs with vendors and Branch production teams, including white wood reviews, OCAs (Open Carton Audits), PVTs (Production Validation Testing), and other validation activities.
• Ensure photo and golden samples are built according to approved specifications, match mass production, and can serve as references for future quality checks.
• Troubleshoot technical issues that arise during ongoing testing and production.
• Maintain working knowledge of furniture testing standards and compliance requirements, including ASTM, BIFMA, ISTA, and general regulatory guidelines.

What We’re Looking For:

• 3-5 years of engineering experience, preferably with an international company working on hardgoods and/or furniture products.
• Hands-on engineering and/or product development experience in the furniture industry.
• Strong understanding of materials and manufacturing processes related to office furniture and home goods.
• Familiarity with ISTA, BIFMA, and general product compliance, safety, and testing standards.
• Familiarity with typical quality standards for international retail products.
• Knowledge of costing structures, Bills of Materials (BOMs), and Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs).
• Excellent communication skills in English, with the ability to effectively collaborate with North American team members, suppliers, and cross-functional teams.
• Willingness to travel extensively across China, Southeast Asia, and other international regions to support supplier engagement, product development, and factory evaluations.