Purchasing Managers
Business Management & Administration > Operations ManagementProjected Growth: Average
Projected Job Openings
Considerable Preparation Needed
Job Description
Your job is to Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of buyers, purchasing officers, and related workers involved in purchasing materials, products, and services. Includes wholesale or retail trade merchandising managers and procurement managers.
Common job titles of Purchasing Managers include:
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Experience and Education
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for this occupation. For example, a person in this occupation must complete four years of college and work for several years in industry to be considered qualified.
75% said they needed a Bachelor's Degree.
10% said they needed a Master's Degree.
Tasks
Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in buying, selling, and distributing materials, equipment, machinery, and supplies.
Administer online purchasing systems.
Prepare and process requisitions and purchase orders for supplies and equipment.
Maintain records of goods ordered and received.
Locate vendors of materials, equipment or supplies, and interview them to determine product availability and terms of sales.
Prepare reports regarding market conditions and merchandise costs.
Prepare bid awards requiring board approval.
Review, evaluate, and approve specifications for issuing and awarding bids.
Represent companies in negotiating contracts and formulating policies with suppliers.
Participate in the development of specifications for equipment, products, or substitute materials.
Analyze market and delivery systems to assess present and future material availability.
Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy.
Develop cost reduction strategies and savings plans.
Resolve vendor or contractor grievances, and claims against suppliers.
Develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures.
Interview and hire staff, and oversee staff training.
Control purchasing department budgets.
Arrange for disposal of surplus materials.
Tools
Personal computers
Desktop computers
10-key calculators
Technologies
Bowen & Groves M1 ERP
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Epicor Vantage ERP
Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft SharePoint
NetSuite ERP
Oracle PeopleSoft Financials
All TechnologiesQlik Tech QlikView
Ariba Spend Management Suite
Automated purchase order software
Bottomline Technologies Bottomline Sprinter Purchasing Manager
Corel Paradox
Infor Lawson Supply Chain Management
Inventory management software
Materials requirement planning MRP software
Oracle DBMS
Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise Financial Management Solutions
Oracle Primavera P6 Enterprise Portfolio Project Management
Point of sale POS software
Purchasing software
PurchasingNet eProcurement
SAP BusinessObjects Crystal Reports
Scheduling software
Skills
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Management of Financial Resources
Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
Management of Material Resources
Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Abilities
Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Oral Comprehension
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Fluency of Ideas
Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Written Comprehension
Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Oral Expression
Communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Written Expression
Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Deductive Reasoning
Occupation Sections
Knowledge
Administration and Management
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Economics and Accounting
Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Mathematics
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Computers and Electronics
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Personnel and Human Resources
Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Law and Government
Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Production and Processing
Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Education and Training
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Clerical
Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.