Purchaser to procurement category specialist
A purchaser already meets 41% of what the procurement category specialist role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.8/ 100
1 How much of what a procurement category specialist is expected to do is already part of a purchaser’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 procurement category specialist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A procurement category specialist role treats 8 of its required skills as things a purchaser already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assess procurement needs
- category specific expertise
- implement procurement of innovation
- implement sustainable procurement
- maintain relationship with suppliers
- manage contracts
What stands in the way is 8 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 procurement category specialist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a purchaser background worth leading with.
- already held category specific expertise business, administration and law
- 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
- already held implement procurement of innovation communication, collaboration and creativity
All 11 carried skills, including the 8 the procurement category specialist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 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 draft procurement technical specifications required
- still to learn adapt to changing situations required
- still to learn address problems critically required
- optional, not held cooperate with colleagues optional
- optional, not held manage relationships with stakeholders optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
- still to learn keep up-to-date with regulations required
- still to learn monitor developments in field of expertise required
- optional, not held evaluate tender optional
- optional, not held implement risk management in procurement optional
- optional, not held draft tender documentation optional
- still to learn develop performance orientation in public administration required
- still to learn manage procurement planning required
- optional, not held develop procurement strategy optional
- still to learn supplier management required
- optional, not held e-procurement optional
- optional, not held organisational structure optional
- optional, not held adhere to organisational code of ethics optional
- optional, not held adhere to organisational guidelines optional
- optional, not held communication principles optional
- optional, not held teamwork principles optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a procurement category specialist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 develop performance orientation in public administration practise this
- 02 draft procurement technical specifications practise this
- 03 manage procurement planning 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 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 maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held perform procurement market analysis skill
- already held procurement lifecycle knowledge
- already held international business knowledge
- already held procurement legislation knowledge
- already held use e-procurement skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held morality optional
- optional, not held quantity surveying optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held adhere to organisational code of ethics optional
- optional, not held develop procurement strategy optional
- optional, not held e-procurement optional
- optional, not held evaluate tender optional
- optional, not held implement risk management in procurement optional
- optional, not held quantity surveying optional
- optional, not held adhere to organisational guidelines optional
- optional, not held communication principles optional
- optional, not held cooperate with colleagues optional
- optional, not held draft tender documentation optional
- optional, not held manage relationships with stakeholders optional
- optional, not held morality optional
- optional, not held organisational structure optional
- optional, not held teamwork principles optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
26 held skills the procurement category specialist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse consumer buying 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 supply chain strategies skill
- not needed by the target role assess supplier risks skill
- not needed by the target role communicate price changes skill
- not needed by the target role compare contractors' bids skill
- not needed by the target role conduct performance measurement skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate purchasing activities skill
- not needed by the target role embargo regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations skill
- not needed by the target role export control principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role identify new business opportunities skill
- not needed by the target role identify suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role international import export regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role issue purchase orders skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with customers skill
- not needed by the target role manage purchasing cycle skill
- not needed by the target role manage tender processes skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate sales contracts skill
- not needed by the target role perform procurement processes skill
- not needed by the target role report accounts of the professional activity skill
- not needed by the target role speak different languages skill
- not needed by the target role supply chain management knowledge
- not needed by the target role track price trends skill
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 supplier management required
- optional, not held e-procurement optional
- optional, not held quantity surveying optional
- optional, not held communication principles optional
- optional, not held morality optional
- optional, not held organisational structure optional
- optional, not held teamwork principles optional
Common questions about this move
Can a purchaser become a procurement category specialist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A purchaser already covers 41% of what a procurement category specialist is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 8 of which the procurement category specialist role treats as required.
What skills does a purchaser need to become a procurement category specialist?
8 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is develop performance orientation in public administration.
How hard is the move from purchaser to procurement category specialist?
Its learning distance is 59.8 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.