Buying Associate

Celestica; Penang; On-site; MYR 48,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology solutions provider is looking for a Buying Associate in Penang, Malaysia. This role involves managing purchase orders, ensuring timely delivery of materials for the Korea site's operations. Candidates should have a bachelor's degree, fluent English skills, and the ability to work independently with remote teams. The position may require flexibility in working hours to align with Korea's schedule. The company fosters an inclusive environment for all applicants.

Qualifications

• Must have fluent English communication skills.
• 0 to 2 years of relevant experience required.
• Ability to work independently with a remote team.

Responsibilities

• Manage purchase orders and material requirements.
• Proactively track shipments and resolve shortages.
• Collaborate with the Korea team to ensure timely material delivery.

Skills

Purchasing Expertise

Remote Work Capability

Communication Skills

Problem Solving

IT Skills

Attention to Detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint)

Job description

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 the execution of purchasing activities to ensure the timely availability of materials for the Korea site operations. While based in Malaysia, this role functions as an extended arm of the Korea team, requiring close daily collaboration and seamless communication. The incumbent will work independently on most aspects of transactional purchasing (PO issuance, expediting, delivery management) within established professional standards. This role does not involve strategic sourcing or new supplier qualification but focuses on executing the demand plan and resolving supply issues to meet Korea’s production schedules.

Location: Malaysia | Department: Supply Chain / Purchasing | Reports to: Buying Team Leader @Celestica Penang (dotted line to Korea Site SCM)

Purchasing Execution & Material Management

• PO Management: Review material requirements (MRP) and Purchase Requisitions from the Korea team; issue and manage Purchase Orders (POs) to suppliers in a timely manner.
• Expediting: Proactively track shipments and expedite open orders to ensure materials arrive according to the Korea production schedule.
• Shortage Management: Analyze material shortages and immediate demands; determine the best method to secure parts quickly to minimize impact on Korea’s manufacturing lines.
• 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 knowledge of purchasing processes (PO lifecycle), inventory management, and MRP techniques.
• Remote Work Capability: Ability to work independently and effectively with a remote team (Korea). Must be self‑motivated and responsive.
• Communication Skills: Superior verbal and written communication skills are essential. Must be able to clearly convey complex supply issues to stakeholders in Korea who may not be fluent in English.
• Problem Solving: Ability to evaluate conflicting priorities (e.g., urgent Korea requests vs. supplier lead times) and determine the best solution.
• IT Skills: Proficiency in MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint)
• Attention to Detail: Accuracy in data entry and PO details is critical to prevent shipping errors to the Korea site.

Physical Demands

• Requires frequent use of computer systems and communication tools (Google meets) to interact with the Korea team.
• Time Zone Management: May require flexibility in working hours to overlap with the Korea team's schedule when urgent issues arise.

Typical Experience

• Zero to two years of relevant experience.
• Language:
  • Fluent in English (Required)

Typical Education

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

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.

Celestica is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on any protected status (including race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran or disability status or other characteristics protected by law).

At Celestica we are committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible environment, where all employees and customers feel valued, respected and supported. Special arrangements can be made for candidates who need it throughout the hiring process. Please indicate your needs and we will work with you to meet them.Celestica (NYSE, TSX: CLS) enables the world’s best brands. Through our recognized customer‑centric approach, we partner with leading companies in Aerospace and Defense, Communications, Enterprise, HealthTech, Industrial, Capital Equipment and Energy to deliver solutions for their most complex challenges. As a leader in design, manufacturing, hardware platform and supply chain solutions, Celestica brings global expertise and insight at every stage of product development – from drawing board to full‑scale production and after‑market services for products from advanced medical devices, to highly engineered aviation systems, to next‑generation hardware platform solutions for the Cloud. Headquartered in Toronto, with talented teams spanning 40+ locations in 13 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia, we imagine, develop and deliver a better future with our customers.

Celestica would like to thank all applicants, however, only qualified applicants will be contacted.

Celestica does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruitment agencies or fee based recruitment services.