Forecast manager to ICT vendor relationship manager
A forecast manager already meets 31% of what the ICT vendor relationship manager role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
69.3/ 100
1 How much of what an ICT vendor relationship manager is expected to do is already part of a forecast manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the ICT vendor relationship manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An ICT vendor relationship manager role treats 7 of its required skills as things a forecast manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse supply chain strategies
- analyse supply chain trends
- coordinate purchasing activities
- identify suppliers
- maintain relationship with customers
- maintain relationship with suppliers
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An ICT vendor relationship manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a forecast manager background worth leading with.
- already held coordinate purchasing activities communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held analyse supply chain strategies information skills
- already held analyse supply chain trends information skills
- already held assess supplier risks information skills
- already held identify suppliers management skills
- already held supply chain management business, administration and law
All 8 carried skills, including the 7 the ICT vendor relationship manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn ICT market required
- still to learn ICT sales methodologies required
- still to learn crowdsourcing strategy required
- still to learn insourcing strategy required
- still to learn outsourcing strategy required
- still to learn contract law required
- optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
- optional, not held business processes optional
- still to learn issue purchase orders required
- still to learn manage budgets required
- optional, not held carry out tendering optional
- optional, not held forecast workload optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- still to learn prepare purchasing reportings required
- still to learn track price trends required
- still to learn manage contracts required
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held compare contractors' bids optional
- optional, not held design process optional
- optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
- optional, not held perform procurement processes optional
- still to learn electronic communication required
- optional, not held adhere to organisational guidelines optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an ICT vendor relationship manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 8 skills that carry over
- already held analyse supply chain strategies skill
- already held analyse supply chain trends skill
- already held coordinate purchasing activities skill
- already held identify suppliers skill
- already held maintain relationship with customers skill
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held supply chain management knowledge
- already held assess supplier risks skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held software components suppliers optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
- optional, not held software components suppliers optional
- optional, not held adhere to organisational guidelines optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held business processes optional
- optional, not held carry out tendering optional
- optional, not held compare contractors' bids optional
- optional, not held design process optional
- optional, not held forecast workload optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
- optional, not held perform procurement processes optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
32 held skills the ICT vendor relationship manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse economic trends skill
- not needed by the target role analyse logistic changes skill
- not needed by the target role analyse logistic needs skill
- not needed by the target role analyse market financial trends skill
- not needed by the target role assist in planning production scheduling skill
- not needed by the target role calculate purchasing levels of raw materials skill
- not needed by the target role consumer goods industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role economics knowledge
- not needed by the target role estimate costs of required supplies skill
- not needed by the target role financial forecasting knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow company standards skill
- not needed by the target role forecast dividend trends skill
- not needed by the target role forecast economic trends skill
- not needed by the target role forecast future levels of business skill
- not needed by the target role forecast production quantities skill
- not needed by the target role forecast products' demand skill
- not needed by the target role forecast sales over periods of time skill
- not needed by the target role international business knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role manage inventory skill
- not needed by the target role manage logistics skill
- not needed by the target role manage standard enterprise resource planning system skill
- not needed by the target role manage supplies skill
- not needed by the target role monitor ingredient storage skill
- not needed by the target role order supplies skill
- not needed by the target role statistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role strive for company growth skill
- not needed by the target role study sales levels of products skill
- not needed by the target role supplier management knowledge
- not needed by the target role supply chain principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role use sales forecasting softwares skill
10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn ICT market required
- still to learn ICT sales methodologies required
- still to learn crowdsourcing strategy required
- still to learn insourcing strategy required
- still to learn outsourcing strategy required
- still to learn contract law required
- still to learn electronic communication required
- optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
- optional, not held software components suppliers optional
- optional, not held business processes optional
Common questions about this move
Can a forecast manager become an ICT vendor relationship manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A forecast manager already covers 31% of what an ICT vendor relationship manager is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 7 of which the ICT vendor relationship manager role treats as required.
What skills does a forecast manager need to become an ICT vendor relationship manager?
12 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is ICT market.
How hard is the move from forecast manager to ICT vendor relationship manager?
Its learning distance is 69.3 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.