ICT buyer to purchasing manager
An ICT buyer already meets 28% of what the purchasing manager role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
76/ 100
1 How much of what a purchasing manager 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 purchasing manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A purchasing manager role treats 8 of its required skills as things an ICT buyer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse supply chain strategies
- coordinate purchasing activities
- identify suppliers
- maintain relationship with customers
- maintain relationship with suppliers
- manage contracts
What stands in the way is 17 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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A purchasing manager 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 track price trends information skills
- already held use e-procurement working with computers
- already held coordinate purchasing activities communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held maintain contract administration information skills
- already held procurement legislation business, administration and law
- already held analyse supply chain strategies information skills
All 13 carried skills, including the 8 the purchasing manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 40 missing skills fall into 6 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 analyse supply chain trends required
- still to learn assess supplier risks required
- still to learn analyse logistic changes required
- still to learn estimate costs of required supplies required
- still to learn study sales levels of products required
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held perform procurement market analysis optional
- optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends optional
- optional, not held calculate purchasing levels of raw materials optional
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn supplier management required
- still to learn quality standards required
- still to learn supply chain principles required
- optional, not held category specific expertise optional
- optional, not held market pricing optional
- optional, not held procurement lifecycle optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held pricing strategies optional
- optional, not held risk management optional
- still to learn issue sales invoices required
- still to learn manage inventory required
- still to learn manage budgets required
- still to learn strive for company growth required
- optional, not held manage procurement planning optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
- optional, not held manage rented goods returns optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- still to learn negotiate sales contracts required
- still to learn liaise with managers required
- still to learn order supplies 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 advise on sustainable management policies optional
- optional, not held attend trade fairs optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn follow company standards required
- optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a purchasing manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 analyse supply chain trends practise this
- 02 assess supplier risks practise this
- 03 corporate social responsibility study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 13 skills that carry over
- already held analyse supply chain strategies 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 manage contracts skill
- already held negotiate buying conditions skill
- already held supply chain management knowledge
- already held carry out statistical forecasts skill
- already held maintain contract administration skill
- already held procurement legislation knowledge
- already held track price trends skill
- already held use e-procurement skill
23 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assess procurement needs optional
- optional, not held category specific expertise 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 market pricing optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held perform procurement market analysis optional
- optional, not held procurement lifecycle optional
- optional, not held advise on sustainable management policies optional
- optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends optional
- optional, not held attend trade fairs optional
- optional, not held calculate purchasing levels of raw materials optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held manage rented goods returns optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held pricing strategies optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- optional, not held risk management optional
- optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
22 held skills the purchasing manager 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 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 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 manage logistics skill
- not needed by the target role manufacturer's recommended price knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform procurement processes skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role prepare purchasing reportings 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
11 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 corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn supplier management required
- still to learn quality standards required
- still to learn supply chain principles required
- optional, not held category specific expertise optional
- optional, not held market pricing optional
- optional, not held procurement lifecycle optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held pricing strategies optional
- optional, not held risk management optional
- optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional
Common questions about this move
Can an ICT buyer become a purchasing manager?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An ICT buyer already covers 28% of what a purchasing manager is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 8 of which the purchasing manager role treats as required.
What skills does an ICT buyer need to become a purchasing manager?
17 required skills are missing, plus 23 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is analyse supply chain trends.
How hard is the move from ICT buyer to purchasing manager?
Its learning distance is 76 out of 100, which is the career change 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.