Requisition Number: 79020
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.
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, automotive, and solar 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
- Solar polysilicon, wafers, and innovative photovoltaic modules, enabling low-cost solar energy solutions
Role Purpose:
Reporting to the Plant Quality Manager, the Supplier Quality Supervisor leads Fairport’s incoming inspection and supplier quality organization, including a multidisciplinary team of approximately 8–10 inspectors, technicians, and quality engineers. The role sets priorities, allocates resources, develops team capability, and ensures that nonconforming purchased material and supplier-related issues are identified, contained, communicated, and resolved effectively. The supervisor partners with Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Engineering, Procurement, and suppliers to improve incoming quality and reduce disruption to plant operations.
This role requires a hands-on, detail-oriented leader who can balance daily operational execution with longer-term supplier quality improvement, using data, structured problem-solving, and strong cross-functional collaboration to improve incoming quality performance and reduce disruption to production.
Key Responsibilities:
Responsibilities may include the following, with specific priorities and assignments adjusted based on business needs, team capability, and organizational structure.
People Leadership & Accountability:
- Directly supervise, develop, and hold accountable the IQA inspection and Supplier Quality team, including inspectors, technicians, and quality engineers. Provide daily direction, establish priorities, manage performance, develop technical and leadership capability, and align team resources with plant priorities and business needs.
- Build a high-performing team culture focused on responsiveness, ownership, discipline, and partnership with internal customers and external suppliers
- Establish clear roles, standard work, and escalation paths to ensure efficient execution of incoming inspection, non-conformance management, and supplier corrective action follow-up
Incoming Quality Execution:
- Own plant incoming inspection processes to ensure purchased materials, components, and outsourced services are evaluated against requirements and released appropriately to support production needs
- Ensure timely inspection, disposition, and containment of non-conforming incoming material to minimize production disruption while protecting product quality
- Drive effective prioritization of incoming inspection activities based on production demand, supplier risk, and defect history
- Ensure effective AQL based inspections/templates of supplied parts
Supplier Quality Management:
- Own supplier quality analysis for the Fairport site, including issue identification, documentation, notification, corrective action follow-up, and escalation as needed
- Partner with Procurement and Supply Chain to hold suppliers accountable through supplier scorecards, performance reviews, corrective action requests, audits, and recovery planning where applicable
- Drive supplier root cause and corrective action discipline using structured problem-solving methods to reduce repeat issues and improve incoming quality performance
- Support qualification, evaluation, and ongoing monitoring of suppliers to ensure capability, compliance, and alignment with quality expectations
Non-Conforming Material & Corrective Action:
- Ensure purchased material non-conformances are documented accurately and routed through the appropriate systems and processes for timely disposition and closure
- Lead supplier-related corrective action activity, ensuring containment, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and verification of effectiveness are completed with urgency and rigor
- Partner with engineering and operations to determine risk, material usability, and disposition paths for discrepant incoming material
- Track recurring defects and systemic supplier issues, driving sustainable corrective actions rather than repeated containment
Cross-Functional Quality Leadership:
- Partner closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Supply Chain, Planning, and Procurement to resolve supplier and incoming quality issues quickly and effectively
- Serve as the plant point of contact for supplier quality concerns impacting operations, ensuring communication is timely, fact-based, and action-oriented
- Support broader plant quality initiatives by providing input on defect trends, supplier performance risks, and opportunities to improve incoming material quality and inspection effectiveness
QMS Compliance, Process Discipline & Audit Support:
- Ensure incoming inspection and supplier quality processes are aligned with plant Quality Management System requirements and applicable standards
- Maintain procedures, work instructions, inspection criteria, and documentation needed to support compliant and effective incoming quality execution
- Support internal, customer, and third-party audits related to incoming inspection, supplier quality, and purchased material controls; ensure findings are addressed with effective corrective actions
Metrics, Scorecards & Continuous Improvement:
- Own metrics for incoming quality and supplier performance, including defect rates, supplier PPM, inspection turnaround, SCAR responsiveness, cost of poor quality, and repeat issue trends
- Develop and maintain meaningful scorecards and performance visibility that drive action with both internal stakeholders and suppliers
- Use data to identify high-risk suppliers, recurring failure modes, and process bottlenecks, and lead improvement actions to reduce incoming defects and improve supplier performance
- Leverage SAP, ETQ, Power BI, and other digital tools to improve issue tracking, reporting, workflow efficiency, and decision-making
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Sciences, Management, or related field
- 5+ years of progressive quality experience, including incoming quality, supplier quality, manufacturing quality, or related disciplines, with demonstrated responsibility for leading people, resolving complex supplier issues, and driving measurable quality improvement.
- 2+ years of direct people-management experience, including performance management, coaching, workload prioritization, and development of technical professionals.
- Strong working knowledge of:
- Incoming inspection and non-conforming material processes
- Supplier corrective actions and supplier performance management
- Structured problem-solving tools such as 5Why, 8D, and DMAIC
- Quality Management Systems and applicable standards such as ISO 9001, AS9100, or IATF 16949
- Ability to partner effectively across Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Operations to drive issue resolution and accountability
- Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively with shop floor teams, functional leaders, and external suppliers
- Comfortable working in a hands-on plant environment with regular presence on the shop floor and in receiving / inspection areas
- Experience using data and metrics to drive decisions and performance improvement
Preferred Qualifications:
- Lean / Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt
- ASQ Certification (CQE, CMQ/OE, CQA, or related)
- Experience with statistical and quality tools such as Minitab or JMP
- Experience in precision optics, coatings, or advanced manufacturing
- Experience with SAP, ETQ, Power BI, or similar business systems
This position does not support immigration sponsorship.
The range for this position is $112,328.00 - $154,451.00 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 accommodations@corning.com.