06 - Buying Associate 1

General Overview

Functional Area:    Supply Chain Management (SCM)       
Career Stream:    Purchasing (SCM_PUR)        
Role:    Associate               
Job Title:    Buying Associate        
Job Code:    ASS-SCM-BUY        
Band:    Level 06               
Direct/Indirect Indicator:    Indirect

Summary

The Buyer is responsible for executing day-to-day purchasing activities and material control to ensure the seamless supply of materials for Celestica’s Songdo Factory in Korea. While based in Malaysia, this role operates as a key local purchasing liaison, managing suppliers across Malaysia and Singapore, handling order fulfillment, tracking logistics, and resolving quality issues (DMR/RMA) in close daily collaboration with the Korea SCM and Engineering teams.

Detailed Description

Purchasing Execution & Order Management

• PO Execution: Review Material Requirements Planning (MRP) and Purchase Requisitions from the Korea team; issue, confirm, and maintain Purchase Orders (POs) in the ERP system in a timely manner.
• Open Order & Delivery Tracking: Monitor Open Order Reports (OOR) daily and ensure suppliers maintain target On-Time Delivery (OTD) schedules aligned with Songdo’s production plan.
• Shortage & Expediting: Proactively identify material shortages; expedite urgent orders and determine optimal logistics routes (Air/Express/Ocean) to prevent production line stoppages in Korea.
• System Integrity & Invoice Resolution: Maintain accurate ERP data (lead times, ETD/ETA); collaborate with Accounts Payable (A/P) and suppliers to resolve invoice discrepancies and prevent credit holds.

Supplier Management & DMR Replacement (MY & SG Region)

• Local Supplier Alignment: Oversee purchasing performance and delivery schedules for assigned suppliers in Malaysia and Singapore.
• DMR / RMA Processing: Handle non-conforming materials reported by Korea IQC/IPQC; issue Discrepancy Material Reports (DMR), request Return Material Authorizations (RMA), track replacement shipments, and ensure prompt issuance of Credit Notes (CN).

Cross-Border Collaboration (Korea Headquarters Support)

• Daily Communication: Serve as the primary purchasing bridge between local Southeast Asian suppliers and the Korea SCM/Engineering teams via email, chat, and video meetings.
• Risk & ECO Communication: Immediately escalate potential delivery delays, component shortages, or Engineering Change Orders (ECO) to Korea stakeholders to adjust production schedules dynamically.

• Inventory Control: align purchasing activities with inventory turnover goals; ensure materials are available without carrying excessive stock.

• System Integrity: Maintain accurate data in the ERP system (delivery dates, quantity, price) to ensure the Korea team has real-time visibility of material status.

• Invoice Resolution: Work with Accounts Payable (A/P) and suppliers to resolve payment issues or invoice discrepancies to prevent credit holds.

Cross-Border Collaboration (Korea Support)

• Remote Collaboration: Act as the primary purchasing liaison for the Korea Engineering/Manufacturing team. Bridge the geographical gap through proactive communication via email, chat, and video calls.

• Risk Communication: Immediately notify the Korea team of any potential delays, supplier issues, or risks that may impact their production goals.

• Coordination: Attend regular meetings with the Korea team to review material status, engineering changes (ECO), and urgent requirements.

Knowledge/Skills/Competencies

• • Purchasing Expertise: Strong operational knowledge of the complete PO lifecycle, MRP processes, inventory management, and basic DMR/RMA handling.
  • Cross-Border / Remote Collaboration: Ability to work independently with an overseas team in Korea; highly responsive and self-motivated.
  • Communication & Negotiation: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to resolve conflicting supplier priorities and negotiate push-ins/expedites.
  • System Proficiency: Hands-on experience with ERP systems (Epicor/SAP/Oracle) and MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint).
  • Attention to Detail: High precision in PO details, shipping document verification, and ERP data entries.

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  4. Qualifications & Requirements

  • Experience: 2 to 4 years of relevant purchasing, buyer, or material planning experience, preferably in electronics manufacturing, semiconductor equipment, precision machining, or metal fabrication industries.
  • Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Engineering, Logistics, or a related field.
  • Language Skills:
  • English: Fluent (Verbal & Written) – Mandatory.
  • Korean / Mandarin: Proficiency is a strong advantage for seamless communication with the Korea SCM team and regional supplier networks.
  • Working Conditions:
  • Standard office environment in Malaysia with flexible time zone adjustments when urgent operational alignment with Korea is required.

• Attention to Detail: Accuracy in data entry and PO details is critical to prevent shipping errors to the Korea site.

Typical Education

• Bachelor's degree in related field, or consideration of an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Educational requirements may vary by geography.

Typical Experience

. Qualifications & Requirements

• Experience: 2 to 4 years of relevant purchasing, buyer, or material planning experience, preferably in electronics manufacturing, semiconductor equipment, precision machining, or metal fabrication industries.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Engineering, Logistics, or a related field.
• Language Skills:
• English: Fluent (Verbal & Written) – Mandatory.
• Korean / Mandarin: Proficiency is a strong advantage for seamless communication with the Korea SCM team and regional supplier networks.

Notes

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees are held accountable for all duties of the job. Job duties and the % of time identified for any function are subject to change at any time.