Sourcing Excellence Manager

Corning, Inc.; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 105,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company-wide bonuses

401(k) matching

Medical, dental, vision

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Corning, Inc. in Charlotte, NC seeks a Manager, Sourcing Excellence to strengthen procurement across categories and regions. You will design scalable AI-enabled solutions and advance sourcing improvements that impact the entire GSM function.

You will partner with Legal, Finance and suppliers, develop templates and playbooks, and lead adoption through training. This is a full-time, on-site role emphasizing data-driven strategy and cross-functional impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering or related field.
• 7+ years of procurement or strategic sourcing experience with RFx management.
• Track record of scalable process improvements and measurable results.
• Demonstrated proficiency in AI-enabled solutions for business problems.
• Strong analytical, communication and influencing skills.
• Proficiency with Excel, PowerPoint and procurement systems.

Responsibilities

• Own and improve end-to-end sourcing processes (RFI/RFP/RFQ, eAuctions).
• Develop templates, playbooks and guidance for categories and regions.
• Advise category teams on complex sourcing events and preparations.
• Prepare for negotiations with strategy and data-driven prep; enhance playbooks.
• Identify gaps, propose scalable improvements, and drive adoption.
• Design, deploy AI agents/copilots to scale across teams, regions.

Skills

AI proficiency

Analytical skills

Communication

Leadership

Self-starter

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering or a related field

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Procurement systems

Power BI

Power Automate

Low-code/no-code platforms

Job description

The company built on breakthroughs.
Join us.
Corning is one of the world’s leading innovators in glass, ceramic, and materials science. From the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space, our technologies push the boundaries of what’s possible.

Requisition Number: 79448
The company built on breakthroughs.
Join us.
Corning is one of the world’s leading innovators in glass, ceramic, and materials science. From the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space, our technologies push the boundaries of what’s possible.
How do we do this? With our people. They break through limitations and expectations- not once in a career, but every day. They help move our company, and the world, forward.
At Corning, there are endless possibilities for making an impact. You can help connect the unconnected, drive the future of automobiles, transform at-home entertainment, and ensure the delivery of lifesaving medicines. And so much more.
Come break through with us.
The Global Supply Management (GSM) Function is recognized as a critical function for business success. It delivers the training, tools and opportunities needed to create innovative solutions for the function & the corporation. GSM has leading edge, effective processes to anticipate and exceed customer requirements.

Role Purpose The Manager, Sourcing Excellence helps Corning's procurement function work smarter and faster and deliver more value. The role reports to the Sr. Manager, Sourcing Excellence within the Procurement COE and works across all categories and business segments. It strengthens sourcing and negotiation processes, finds gaps before they turn into problems, and applies demonstrated AI proficiency to design, build and scale digital solutions that change how Global Supply Management (GSM) works.
This role is for a self-starter who takes initiative. You'll listen across the organization, connect the dots, and turn what you learn into practical fixes, often before anyone asks for them. Every solution you build, create or design must be scalable, meaning it can be repeated, sustained and used across categories, regions and business segments, not just for a single use case.

Key Responsibilities

Sourcing & RFx Excellence

• Own and improve the end-to-end sourcing process (RFI, RFP, RFQ, eAuctions), from planning through award.
• Develop and maintain standard templates, playbooks and guidance that can be used across all categories and regions, so sourcing events run the same way and with high quality.
• Advise category teams on complex or high-value sourcing events and help them get ready for each one.
  

Negotiation Support

• Help sourcing teams prepare for important negotiations with strategy, fact bases, tactics and scenario planning.
• Grow and improve the Negotiation Playbook and related tools, including AI-enabled negotiation prep, so they can be reused across the organization.
• Document lessons learned so knowledge stays with the team and gets reused.
  

Process Improvement & Gap Identification

• Look closely at current sourcing, contracting and procurement processes to find gaps, inefficiencies and risks, without waiting to be asked.
• Bring forward clear, practical solutions, build support for them, and carry them through to adoption.
• Spot recurring issues and patterns across categories, stakeholders and suppliers, and turn them into standardized, scalable improvements instead of one-off fixes.
  

AI & Digital Enablement

• Find use cases where AI can cut manual effort, speed up decisions or improve quality.
• Design, build and deploy AI agents and copilots, such as for negotiation prep, RFx drafting, spend analysis and contract review, built to scale across teams, categories and regions.
• Apply sound design, documentation and governance so tools can be maintained, improved and handed off over time.
• Lead adoption by training users, collecting feedback and improving tools over time.
  

Stakeholder Engagement & Change Leadership

• Build trusted relationships with category managers, Legal, Finance, business units and suppliers.
• Listen actively to understand pain points, then turn that feedback into opportunities and action plans.
• Communicate clearly to the Sr. Manager, Sourcing Excellence and to leadership, with short updates, recommendations and progress against goals.
  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering or a related field.
• 7+ years of procurement or strategic sourcing experience, including hands-on management of RFx processes and supplier negotiations.
• A track record of process improvement work that led to measurable results, including solutions that were scaled beyond their original scope.
• Demonstrated proficiency in AI is required, including hands-on experience using, building or configuring AI agents, copilots or similar solutions (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, Databricks) to solve business problems. Candidates must be able to translate use cases into practical, scalable AI-enabled solutions.
• Strong analytical skills; able to turn data and observations into insights and recommendations.
• Excellent communication, facilitation and influencing skills at all levels of the organization.
• Proficiency with Excel, PowerPoint and procurement systems.
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a procurement Center of Excellence or transformation role.
• Knowledge of category management, supplier relationship management (SRM) or contracting governance.
• Lean, Six Sigma or change management certification.
• Experience with Power BI, Power Automate or low-code/no-code platforms.
• Training and coaching experience.
  

What Success Looks Like

• Self-starter: You act without waiting for direction and treat problems as yours to solve.
• Curious listener: You ask good questions, hear what's really being said and notice patterns others miss.
• Builds to scale: You don't stop at identifying problems; you design solutions that can be repeated, sustained and expanded across the enterprise.
• AI-proficient builder: You bring proven, hands-on AI capability and can independently identify use cases, build or configure solutions, and scale what works across the enterprise.
• Collaborator: You work well with everyone, from front-line buyers to senior leaders, and earn trust quickly.
• Bias for action: You balance speed with good judgment and are comfortable with ambiguity.
  

This position does not support immigration sponsorship.

The range for this position is $105,464.00 - $145,013.00 assuming full time status. Starting pay for the successful applicant is dependent on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to geographic location, market demands, experience, training, and education.

A job that shapes a life.

Corning offers you the total package.
Your well-being is our priority. Our compensation and benefits package supports your health and wellness, financial aspirations, and career from day one.

• Company-wide bonuses and long-term incentives align with key business results and ensure you are rewarded when the company performs well. When Corning wins, we all win.
• As part of our commitment to your financial well‑being, we provide a 100% company-paid pension benefit with fixed contributions that grow throughout your career. Combined with matching contributions to your 401(k) savings plan, Corning’s total contributions to your retirement accounts can reach between 7% and 12% of your pay, depending on your age and years of service.
• Our health and well‑being benefits include medical, dental, vision, paid parental leave, family building support, fitness, company-paid life insurance, disability, disease management programs, paid time off, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support you and your family.
• Getting paid for our work is important, but feeling appreciated and recognized for those contributions motivates us much more. That’s why Corning offers a recognition program to celebrate successes and reward colleagues who make exceptional contributions.
  

We prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected status.
Corning is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and considers requests for reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable laws. Individuals with disabilities or sincerely held religious beliefs may request reasonable accommodations to participate in the application or interview process, perform essential job functions, or access other benefits and privileges of employment. To submit a request for reasonable accommodation related to disability or religion, please contact us at [e-mail].