Sr. Specialist, APAC Procurement

Role Purpose

Responsible for assured supply of materials, equipment and services, (on time, best price, high quality) in addition to competitive costs, minimizing inventories while ensuring optimum materials utilization, and supplier performance.

Key Responsibilities

•    Develop and execute GSM sourcing strategies for assigned direct material categories supporting OCS manufacturing in APAC.
•    Lead commercial activities including supplier selection, RFQ, price negotiation, DA (Decision Analysis), contract negotiation, and cost reduction initiatives.
•    Drive supplier performance in the areas of cost, quality, delivery, capacity, and responsiveness.
•    Partner with cross-functional teams including engineering, operations, quality, planning, and finance to support business growth, new product introduction, and plant operational needs.
•    Identify and mitigate supply risks, including single-source dependency, capacity constraints, lead-time challenges, and geopolitical exposure.
•    Support supplier development and qualification of alternate sources where needed to improve supply resilience and flexibility.
•    Build and maintain strong supplier relationships while ensuring alignment with Corning GSM objectives and policies.
•    Monitor market and supplier intelligence for assigned categories, including capacity trends, cost drivers, and supply chain risks.
•    Ensure sourcing decisions and supplier management activities are aligned with business priorities, manufacturing strategies, and GSM governance requirements.
•    Support working capital improvement initiatives, including payment term extension and inventory-related actions where appropriate.

Experiences/Education - Required

•    Bachelor’s degree.
•    5–7 years of procurement / supply management experience, with significant experience in direct material sourcing.
•    Strong sourcing or procurement experience in the optical communications industry is required.
•    Experience supporting manufacturing operations in a fast-paced environment.
•    Strong negotiation, supplier management, and commercial acumen.
•    Ability to work effectively in a cross-functional and matrix organization.
•    Strong communication skills in both English and Chinese.

Experiences/Education - Desired

•    Experience in direct material categories related to optical communications, such as connectors, cable assemblies, fiber optic components, passive components, or similar products.
•    Experience with supplier qualification, alternate source development, and supply risk mitigation.
•    Experience working with APAC suppliers and manufacturing sites.
•    Experience supporting new product introduction (NPI), capacity ramp, or plant expansion.
•    Experience in SAP or other ERP systems.