Escalating performance pressures and limited institutional recognition of pedagogical contributions have become pressing challenges for early-career faculty in transitional higher education systems, particularly under China’s tenure-track system (TTS). Research in predominantly Western contexts has largely prioritised research productivity, leaving teaching-related outcomes in performance-driven non-Western settings underexplored. Integrating the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model and Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study employed a mixed-methods design, combining survey data from 116 early-career faculty and in-depth interviews with six participants at a research-intensive Chinese university. Quantitative results revealed moderate overall satisfaction, with significant disparities across academic ranks and disciplines, while qualitative findings highlighted persistent barriers such as excessive workload, limited autonomy, and low institutional recognition. Autonomy emerged as a nuanced factor, with constrained decision-making authority diminishing satisfaction despite partial fulfilment of relatedness and competence needs. Extending the integrated JD-R–SDT framework to a transitional higher education context, the analysis offers policy-relevant directions for embedding teaching quality into evaluation systems, recalibrating workload allocations, and strengthening peer support, with insights transferable to performance-driven TTS in countries including Japan, South Korea, and other emerging systems in Asia and beyond.