Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Public procurement specialist to purchasing manager

A public procurement specialist already meets 21% of what the purchasing manager role asks for. The move turns on 21 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From public procurement specialist
21 % overlap
Distant match
To purchasing manager
13 You already bring
21 Still to learn
53 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance A rebuild

81.3/ 100

1 How much of what a purchasing manager is expected to do is already part of a public procurement specialist’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

Why this move works

A purchasing manager role treats 4 of its required skills as things a public procurement specialist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • maintain relationship with suppliers
  • manage contracts
  • negotiate buying conditions
  • supplier management

What stands in the way is 21 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

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 a public procurement specialist background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held category specific expertise business, administration and law
  • already held manage procurement planning management skills
  • already held perform procurement market analysis information skills
  • already held assess procurement needs communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held implement sustainable procurement communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held procurement lifecycle business, administration and law

All 13 carried skills, including the 4 the purchasing manager role treats as required.

Table 3

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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 information skills 6 required, 6 supplementary
  • 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 analyse supply chain strategies 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 track price trends optional
  • optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends optional
  • optional, not held calculate purchasing levels of raw materials optional
  • optional, not held carry out statistical forecasts optional
  • optional, not held maintain contract administration optional
02 management skills 5 required, 5 supplementary
  • still to learn issue sales invoices required
  • still to learn manage inventory required
  • still to learn identify suppliers required
  • still to learn manage budgets required
  • still to learn strive for company growth required
  • 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
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 5 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn coordinate purchasing activities required
  • still to learn maintain relationship with customers required
  • still to learn negotiate sales contracts required
  • still to learn liaise with managers required
  • still to learn order supplies required
  • optional, not held advise on sustainable management policies optional
  • optional, not held attend trade fairs optional
  • optional, not held train employees optional
04 business, administration and law 4 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn corporate social responsibility required
  • still to learn quality standards required
  • still to learn supply chain management required
  • still to learn supply chain principles required
  • optional, not held market pricing optional
  • optional, not held international business optional
  • optional, not held pricing strategies optional
  • optional, not held risk management optional
05 assisting and caring 1 required
  • still to learn follow company standards required
06 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional
Table 4

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.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 13 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
  • already held manage contracts skill
  • already held negotiate buying conditions skill
  • already held supplier management knowledge
  • already held assess procurement needs skill
  • already held category specific expertise knowledge
  • already held implement procurement of innovation skill
  • already held implement sustainable procurement skill
  • already held manage procurement planning skill
  • already held perform procurement market analysis skill
  • already held procurement legislation knowledge
  • already held procurement lifecycle knowledge
  • already held use e-procurement skill
19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held market pricing optional
  • optional, not held monitor stock level optional
  • optional, not held track price trends 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 carry out statistical forecasts optional
  • optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
  • optional, not held international business optional
  • optional, not held maintain contract administration 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
34 held skills the purchasing manager role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role adapt to changing situations skill
  • not needed by the target role address problems critically skill
  • not needed by the target role adhere to organisational code of ethics skill
  • not needed by the target role adhere to organisational guidelines skill
  • not needed by the target role apply certification and payment procedures skill
  • not needed by the target role apply change management skill
  • not needed by the target role communication principles knowledge
  • not needed by the target role cooperate with colleagues skill
  • not needed by the target role create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement skill
  • not needed by the target role develop performance orientation in public administration skill
  • not needed by the target role develop procurement strategy skill
  • not needed by the target role draft procurement technical specifications skill
  • not needed by the target role draft tender documentation skill
  • not needed by the target role e-procurement knowledge
  • not needed by the target role evaluate tender skill
  • not needed by the target role implement risk management in procurement skill
  • not needed by the target role keep up-to-date with regulations skill
  • not needed by the target role leadership principles knowledge
  • not needed by the target role manage a team skill
  • not needed by the target role manage contract disputes skill
  • not needed by the target role manage relationships with stakeholders skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor developments in field of expertise skill
  • not needed by the target role morality knowledge
  • not needed by the target role negotiate improvement with suppliers skill
  • not needed by the target role negotiate terms with suppliers skill
  • not needed by the target role organisational structure knowledge
  • not needed by the target role perform contract reporting and evaluation skill
  • not needed by the target role project management principles knowledge
  • not needed by the target role public administration knowledge
  • not needed by the target role quantity surveying knowledge
  • not needed by the target role team building knowledge
  • not needed by the target role teamwork principles knowledge
  • not needed by the target role use communication techniques skill
  • not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn corporate social responsibility required
  • still to learn quality standards required
  • still to learn supply chain management required
  • still to learn supply chain principles required
  • optional, not held market pricing 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
Index

Other moves recorded from public procurement specialist

Full index of moves from public procurement specialist

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a public procurement specialist become a purchasing manager?

Yes, and it is a career change move. A public procurement specialist already covers 21% of what a purchasing manager is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 4 of which the purchasing manager role treats as required.

What skills does a public procurement specialist need to become a purchasing manager?

21 required skills are missing, plus 19 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 public procurement specialist to purchasing manager?

Its learning distance is 81.3 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.