Senior Applications Engineer

Corning is vital to progress – in the industries we help shape and in the world we share.

We invent life-changing technologies using materials science. Our scientific and manufacturing expertise, boundless curiosity, and commitment to purposeful invention place us at the center of the way the world interacts, works, learns, and lives.

Our sustained investment in research, development, and invention means we’re always ready to solve the toughest challenges alongside our customers. 

Corning’s businesses are ever evolving to best serve our customers, industries, and consumers. Today, we accelerate and transform life sciences, mobile consumer electronics, optical communications, display, and automotive markets. We are changing the world with: 

•    Trusted products that accelerate drug discovery, development, and delivery to save lives
•    Damage-resistant cover glass to enhance the devices that keep us connected
•    Optical fiber, wireless technologies, and connectivity solutions to carry information and ideas at the speed of light
•    Precision glass for advanced displays to deliver richer experiences 
•    Auto glass and ceramics to drive cleaner, safer, and smarter transportation 

Role Purpose

Serves as the customer’s primary technical point of contact and ensures their overall satisfaction with the products, services, and technical support provided by Corning

Key Responsibilities

• Provides first-level service and technical support to the customer to clarify performance expectations and address queries and/or issues. Coordinates with Systems Engineering or other members of the Sales Team, as appropriate, to ensure seamless support and service to the customer
• Functions as a conduit of process and product information from the customer to Corning and ensures this customer information reaches the appropriate parties within Corning
• Establishes a clear understanding of the customer’s technology and quality requirements in the short-term and long-term, and disseminates this knowledge to Product Line Management and within the Sales Team (i.e., Account Manager, Sales Rep) to inform the account plan and more broadly to inform the division’s sales, marketing, and technical strategies, demand forecast and sales planning processes, master product specifications, and technical roadmap
• Monitors general market trends and works closely with sales team to identify potential opportunities, with existing customers and potential ones.
• Negotiates and finalizes product specifications in a manner that balances the customer’s needs with the division’s product strategy, including its global product specifications
• Develop understanding of customer qualification requirements and lead customer qualification activities
• Negotiate technical arrangements, including to prepare and gain agreement on external specs, and to resolve product quality issues.
• Identifies gaps in customer needs not met by Corning’s current products and works with Account Management, Product Line Management, and Product Engineering to determine whether Corning could and should address these gaps
• Identifies opportunities for product enhancements that optimize the customer’s performance based on an intimate understanding of the customer’s product value proposition
• Evaluates customer complaints and/or returns and determines their validity and related liability for the issues. Resolves and closes issues
• Coordinates design-in efforts and supports the customer in analyzing and interpreting test data related to these efforts.
• Presents and/or speaks with end users on technical specifications of the product
• Educates Account Managers, Systems Engineers, and others on the Sales Team on the technical aspects of Corning’s products to increase their technical acumen
• Initiates customer programs and supports customer initiatives in alignment with the account plan
• Supports the customer’s manufacturing and/or sales operations (in partnership with Sales for new applications) in a manner that provides value for the customer and maintains Corning’s desired margins
• Contributes to ongoing efforts to improve products and reduce the cost of quality

Competencies (knowledge, skills, and behaviors)

• Establishing Relationships
• Solving Complex Problems 
• Displaying Confidence and Composure 
• Communicate and Engage
• Process Knowledge of Commercial operations
• Knowledge of the solar industry (market and technical) – specifically, solar cells
• English fluency and conversant in Mandarin and Vietnamese

Experiences/Education - Required

• Bachelor’s Degree – Engineering or other Technical
• 3 to 5 years Experience in solar cell and panel manufacturing. With experience in various cell technologies ( eg., PERC, TopCon, HJT)
• Strong communicational skills in English and Chinese, and Vietnamese
• Language skills in customers’ primary geographic location(s)
• Experience working in Manufacturing Quality or R&D

Experiences/Education - Desired

• Master’s Degree – Technical
• Prior experience in project management
• Experience working with external customers
• Experience as a Process or Product Engineer in Manufacturing or a demonstrated track record of solving manufacturing process issues
• Prior experience working directly with the division’s products in the customer’s setting