ICT buyer to purchase planner
An ICT buyer already meets 29% of what the purchase planner role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
73.2/ 100
1 How much of what a purchase planner is expected to do is already part of an ICT buyer’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 purchase planner role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A purchase planner role treats 7 of its required skills as things an ICT buyer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- identify suppliers
- maintain relationship with suppliers
- negotiate buying conditions
- perform procurement processes
- prepare purchasing reportings
- supply chain management
What stands in the way is 13 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 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A purchase planner role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ICT buyer background worth leading with.
- already held prepare purchasing reportings information skills
- already held manufacturer's recommended price business, administration and law
- already held track price trends information skills
- already held use e-procurement working with computers
- already held procurement legislation business, administration and law
- already held carry out statistical forecasts information skills
All 11 carried skills, including the 7 the purchase planner role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 34 missing skills fall into 8 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 assess supplier risks required
- still to learn visit suppliers required
- still to learn apply numeracy skills required
- still to learn perform market research required
- optional, not held perform procurement market analysis optional
- optional, not held report accounts of the professional activity optional
- optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends optional
- optional, not held analyse logistic changes optional
- optional, not held conduct research on food waste prevention optional
- optional, not held design indicators for food waste reduction optional
- still to learn embargo regulations required
- still to learn international import export regulations required
- still to learn export control principles required
- optional, not held category specific expertise optional
- optional, not held procurement lifecycle optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- still to learn identify new business opportunities required
- still to learn perform multiple tasks at the same time required
- optional, not held manage procurement planning optional
- optional, not held develop food waste reduction strategies optional
- optional, not held plan schedule optional
- still to learn manage purchasing cycle required
- optional, not held assess procurement needs optional
- optional, not held implement procurement of innovation optional
- optional, not held implement sustainable procurement optional
- optional, not held negotiate sales contracts optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
- optional, not held show diplomacy optional
- still to learn have computer literacy required
- optional, not held manage standard enterprise resource planning system optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a purchase planner role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assess supplier risks practise this
- 02 embargo regulations study this
- 03 ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 11 skills that carry over
- already held identify suppliers skill
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held negotiate buying conditions skill
- already held perform procurement processes skill
- already held prepare purchasing reportings skill
- already held supply chain management knowledge
- already held track price trends skill
- already held carry out statistical forecasts skill
- already held manufacturer's recommended price knowledge
- already held procurement legislation knowledge
- already held use e-procurement skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn transportation methods required
- optional, not held check shipments optional
21 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assess procurement needs optional
- optional, not held category specific expertise optional
- optional, not held check shipments optional
- optional, not held implement procurement of innovation optional
- optional, not held implement sustainable procurement optional
- optional, not held manage procurement planning optional
- optional, not held manage standard enterprise resource planning system optional
- optional, not held negotiate sales contracts optional
- optional, not held perform procurement market analysis optional
- optional, not held procurement lifecycle optional
- optional, not held report accounts of the professional activity optional
- optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends optional
- optional, not held analyse logistic changes optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held conduct research on food waste prevention optional
- optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
- optional, not held design indicators for food waste reduction optional
- optional, not held develop food waste reduction strategies optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held plan schedule optional
- optional, not held show diplomacy optional
24 held skills the purchase planner role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT market knowledge
- not needed by the target role adhere to organisational guidelines skill
- not needed by the target role analyse supply chain strategies skill
- not needed by the target role business ICT systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role business requirements techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role carry out tendering skill
- not needed by the target role compare contractors' bids skill
- not needed by the target role contract law knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate purchasing activities skill
- not needed by the target role electronic communication knowledge
- not needed by the target role emergent technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role hardware components knowledge
- not needed by the target role hardware components suppliers knowledge
- not needed by the target role hardware platforms knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify ICT user needs skill
- not needed by the target role issue purchase orders skill
- not needed by the target role maintain contract administration skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with customers skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role manage logistics skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role product comprehension knowledge
- not needed by the target role software components libraries knowledge
- not needed by the target role software components suppliers knowledge
7 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 embargo regulations required
- still to learn international import export regulations required
- still to learn transportation methods required
- still to learn export control principles required
- optional, not held category specific expertise optional
- optional, not held procurement lifecycle optional
- optional, not held international business optional
Common questions about this move
Can an ICT buyer become a purchase planner?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An ICT buyer already covers 29% of what a purchase planner is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 7 of which the purchase planner role treats as required.
What skills does an ICT buyer need to become a purchase planner?
13 required skills are missing, plus 21 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is assess supplier risks.
How hard is the move from ICT buyer to purchase planner?
Its learning distance is 73.2 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.