OPT Sourcing Specialist Jobs
Sourcing Specialist roles are a strong fit for F-1 OPT students with supply chain, business, or engineering backgrounds. Most positions qualify as specialty occupations, supporting H-1B visa sponsorship down the line. Your 12-month OPT window, plus a potential 24-month STEM extension, gives you real runway to build experience and secure long-term status.
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Get Access To All JobsReq ID: 135259
Region: Americas
Country: USA
State/Province: Texas
City: Richardson
General Overview
Functional Area: Supply Chain Management (SCM)
Career Stream: Supply Chain Management (SCM)
Role: Specialist (SPE)
Job Title: Buying Specialist Sourcing
Job Code: SPE-SCM-BYS
Job Level: Level 08
Direct/Indirect Indicator: Indirect
Summary
Incumbents are fully qualified to execute job/role accountabilities working independently on most aspects of the job. Work is performed within established professional standards and practices. Tasks are moderately complex in nature where judgment is required to complete recurring assignments independently and to determine the best methods to follow to complete assignments. Erroneous decisions or failure to achieve results may have a negative impact on the division’s/department’s operations, schedules, and/or performance goals. Works under general supervision. Situations not covered by standard processes, procedures and methods are referred to manager or expert resource. May demonstrate work methods to new employees. Builds internal and external relationships, with emphasis on those that facilitate the achievement of job/role accountabilities, such as relationships with key suppliers, customers and internal service.
Detailed Description
Performs tasks such as, but not limited to, the following:
- Procures goods and services in support of the business operations.
- Acts as the communication link between internal customers, suppliers and external customers on pre-production ramp up and full production volume. Reviews requisitions, contacts vendors, examines bids and initiates contracts. Responsible for the procurement of parts and supplies for new products, existing products and non-production supplies. Initiates purchases driven through MRP process. Assesses when to execute and what order to place based on other factors.
- Coordinates and manages last time buys for products end of life.
- Ensures on-time delivery, purchase price variance and inventory management.
- Forecast accuracy and reports back to appropriate personnel.
- Updates standard costs for assigned parts.
- Facilitates quoting and sourcing of parts to improve supply and reduce costs.
- Acts as primary contact with suppliers, internal and external customers to facilitate problem resolution for assigned material.
- Addresses and resolves situations such as supply chain shortages, allocations, bad balances, discrepant material and alternate sources of supply.
- Has responsibility for continuous improvement including data integrity and parameter management.
- Analyzes variances to determine root cause and implement corrective action.
- Manages overall relationship with and performance of suppliers. Meets regularly with suppliers to set goals and understand next generation of product offerings. Evaluates supplier performance and helps drive performance improvements.
- Ensures audit readiness for internal self-audits and ISO reviews.
- Action audit findings to clear audit exposures.
Knowledge/Skills/Competencies
- Basic knowledge of electronic manufacturing environment, materials and processes.
- Knowledge of procurement processes, inventory management and supplier management.
- Good knowledge of the types of materials being purchased by the department.
- Good negotiation and problem resolution skills.
- Ability to handle multiple tasks while maintaining attention to detail and accuracy and working under tight time deadlines.
- Ability to evaluate, prioritize and problem solve a variety of tasks to ensure their timely and accurate completion.
- Knowledge of basic computer applications and the ability to learn and use multiple applications specific to this department. SAP Experience and Spreadsheet proficiency - Excel or Google Sheets.
- Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with a wide variety of internal and external customers.
- Strong knowledge of SCM policies, and procedures and ISO standards.
Physical Demands
- Duties of this position are performed in a normal office environment.
- Duties may require extended periods of sitting and sustained visual concentration on a computer monitor or on numbers and other detailed data.
- Repetitive manual movements (e.g., data entry, using a computer mouse, using a calculator, etc.) are frequently required.
- Occasional overnight travel may be required.
Typical Experience
Three to Six years + years’ relevant experience
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.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
Celestica’s policy on equal employment opportunity prohibits discrimination based on race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran or disability status, or other characteristics protected by law.
This policy applies to hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral and other aspects of employment and also states that retaliation against a person who files a charge of discrimination, participates in a discrimination proceeding, or otherwise opposes an unlawful employment practice will not be tolerated. All information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
COMPANY OVERVIEW:
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.
Req ID: 135259
Region: Americas
Country: USA
State/Province: Texas
City: Richardson
General Overview
Functional Area: Supply Chain Management (SCM)
Career Stream: Supply Chain Management (SCM)
Role: Specialist (SPE)
Job Title: Buying Specialist Sourcing
Job Code: SPE-SCM-BYS
Job Level: Level 08
Direct/Indirect Indicator: Indirect
Summary
Incumbents are fully qualified to execute job/role accountabilities working independently on most aspects of the job. Work is performed within established professional standards and practices. Tasks are moderately complex in nature where judgment is required to complete recurring assignments independently and to determine the best methods to follow to complete assignments. Erroneous decisions or failure to achieve results may have a negative impact on the division’s/department’s operations, schedules, and/or performance goals. Works under general supervision. Situations not covered by standard processes, procedures and methods are referred to manager or expert resource. May demonstrate work methods to new employees. Builds internal and external relationships, with emphasis on those that facilitate the achievement of job/role accountabilities, such as relationships with key suppliers, customers and internal service.
Detailed Description
Performs tasks such as, but not limited to, the following:
- Procures goods and services in support of the business operations.
- Acts as the communication link between internal customers, suppliers and external customers on pre-production ramp up and full production volume. Reviews requisitions, contacts vendors, examines bids and initiates contracts. Responsible for the procurement of parts and supplies for new products, existing products and non-production supplies. Initiates purchases driven through MRP process. Assesses when to execute and what order to place based on other factors.
- Coordinates and manages last time buys for products end of life.
- Ensures on-time delivery, purchase price variance and inventory management.
- Forecast accuracy and reports back to appropriate personnel.
- Updates standard costs for assigned parts.
- Facilitates quoting and sourcing of parts to improve supply and reduce costs.
- Acts as primary contact with suppliers, internal and external customers to facilitate problem resolution for assigned material.
- Addresses and resolves situations such as supply chain shortages, allocations, bad balances, discrepant material and alternate sources of supply.
- Has responsibility for continuous improvement including data integrity and parameter management.
- Analyzes variances to determine root cause and implement corrective action.
- Manages overall relationship with and performance of suppliers. Meets regularly with suppliers to set goals and understand next generation of product offerings. Evaluates supplier performance and helps drive performance improvements.
- Ensures audit readiness for internal self-audits and ISO reviews.
- Action audit findings to clear audit exposures.
Knowledge/Skills/Competencies
- Basic knowledge of electronic manufacturing environment, materials and processes.
- Knowledge of procurement processes, inventory management and supplier management.
- Good knowledge of the types of materials being purchased by the department.
- Good negotiation and problem resolution skills.
- Ability to handle multiple tasks while maintaining attention to detail and accuracy and working under tight time deadlines.
- Ability to evaluate, prioritize and problem solve a variety of tasks to ensure their timely and accurate completion.
- Knowledge of basic computer applications and the ability to learn and use multiple applications specific to this department. SAP Experience and Spreadsheet proficiency - Excel or Google Sheets.
- Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with a wide variety of internal and external customers.
- Strong knowledge of SCM policies, and procedures and ISO standards.
Physical Demands
- Duties of this position are performed in a normal office environment.
- Duties may require extended periods of sitting and sustained visual concentration on a computer monitor or on numbers and other detailed data.
- Repetitive manual movements (e.g., data entry, using a computer mouse, using a calculator, etc.) are frequently required.
- Occasional overnight travel may be required.
Typical Experience
Three to Six years + years’ relevant experience
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.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
Celestica’s policy on equal employment opportunity prohibits discrimination based on race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran or disability status, or other characteristics protected by law.
This policy applies to hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral and other aspects of employment and also states that retaliation against a person who files a charge of discrimination, participates in a discrimination proceeding, or otherwise opposes an unlawful employment practice will not be tolerated. All information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
COMPANY OVERVIEW:
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.
See all 383+ OPT Sourcing Specialist Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Sourcing Specialist Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Sourcing Specialist
Target employers with active supply chain teams
Large manufacturers, retailers, and tech companies with dedicated procurement departments are more likely to sponsor visas. They hire sourcing specialists regularly and have established immigration processes, making OPT-to-H-1B visa transitions far more straightforward than at smaller firms.
Highlight your degree field on every application
Sourcing Specialist roles often require a degree in supply chain management, business, or engineering to qualify as a specialty occupation. Explicitly connecting your academic background to the role strengthens your OPT authorization and makes future H-1B sponsorship easier for the employer to justify.
Start your job search early in your OPT window
OPT authorization takes time to process, and employers need lead time to evaluate candidates. Starting your search three to four months before graduation gives you enough runway to land an offer before your program end date creates unnecessary urgency in hiring conversations.
Ask about sponsorship intent before accepting offers
Confirm that the employer is willing to sponsor an H-1B before you commit. Some companies hire OPT students but have no sponsorship history. Checking their prior H-1B filings through public Department of Labor disclosure data helps you avoid wasting your OPT window on a dead end.
Use your STEM extension if your degree qualifies
If you hold a degree in supply chain management, industrial engineering, or a related STEM field, you may qualify for a 24-month OPT extension. That gives you up to three H-1B lottery cycles, significantly improving your odds of securing long-term work authorization through an employer.
Frame your sourcing skills around measurable outcomes
Employers sponsoring visas take on real administrative costs and want confidence in their investment. Quantify your impact where possible: cost savings, supplier lead time reductions, or vendor consolidation results. Concrete metrics make your profile stand out and justify the sponsorship commitment to hiring managers.
Sourcing Specialist OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work as a Sourcing Specialist on F-1 OPT?
Yes. Sourcing Specialist roles generally qualify as specialty occupations under F-1 OPT rules because they require at least a bachelor's degree in a related field such as supply chain management, business administration, or engineering. Your work must be directly related to your degree. If your degree is in an unrelated field, consult your DSO before accepting an offer.
Do Sourcing Specialist jobs typically lead to H-1B sponsorship?
Many do, particularly at mid-size and large employers with established procurement teams. Sourcing Specialist positions routinely qualify as specialty occupations for H-1B purposes, which is one of the primary requirements for sponsorship. The stronger signal is whether the employer has filed H-1B petitions in the past. You can browse OPT-friendly employers on Migrate Mate to identify companies with a documented sponsorship track record.
Does a Sourcing Specialist role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
It depends on your degree, not the job title. If you hold a qualifying STEM degree, such as industrial engineering, operations research, or supply chain management, and your Sourcing Specialist role is directly related to that field, you likely qualify for the 24-month STEM extension. Confirm the STEM eligibility of your specific degree with your Designated School Official before filing.
What counts as a related degree for a Sourcing Specialist OPT position?
Supply chain management, business administration, operations management, industrial engineering, and logistics are the most common qualifying degrees. Some employers also accept economics or data analytics backgrounds if the role involves significant quantitative sourcing analysis. Your employer and DSO both evaluate this connection, so review your offer letter language carefully to ensure the role description aligns with your field of study.
How do I find Sourcing Specialist jobs that sponsor OPT students?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for F-1 OPT students and filters jobs by sponsorship willingness, saving you from applying to roles where authorization will be a problem. Beyond that, focus your applications on companies in manufacturing, retail, technology, and aerospace, which tend to have large procurement teams and existing immigration infrastructure that makes OPT and eventual H-1B sponsorship routine.