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- Buy equipment, goods and services for their company
- You'll need financial skills, excellent negotiating and networking skills
- You can improve your career prospects with a qualification
As a purchasing or procurement manager, you'll be responsible for deciding what goods and services are bought for a company.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Deciding what goods, services and equipment are needed
- Monitoring and forecasting stock levels
- Researching and finding new products and suppliers
- Assessing tenders from potential suppliers
- Negotiating prices and agreeing contracts
- Keeping up to date with market trends
In larger organisations you may run a purchasing department and lead a team of buyers and administrators. In smaller companies, you may combine purchasing with other management duties.
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
You'll be mainly office-based, but may also travel to meet suppliers.
You'll need
To be a procurement manager, you'll need business management skills, patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations, knowledge of manufacturing production and processes, good initiative, the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure, knowledge of English language, flexibility and openness to change, and analytical thinking skills.
There are no set requirements, but it may be useful to get a relevant foundation degree, higher national diploma, or degree in a subject like business studies, purchasing and logistics, purchasing and supply, marketing, or supply chain marketing.
You can also get into this role through a commercial procurement and supply higher apprenticeship.
You could start out as an administrator or assistant in a company's purchasing department, and work your way up as you get more experience.
Direct application is possible if you have several years' experience in procurement.
You may also be able to get into this role if you have a degree through a company's graduate management training scheme.
CAREER PROSPECTS
You can improve your career prospects with a qualification from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS).