Purchaser to purchase planner
A purchaser already meets 61% of what the purchase planner role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
44.7/ 100
1 How much of what a purchase planner 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 purchase planner role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A purchase planner role treats 13 of its required skills as things a purchaser already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assess supplier risks
- embargo regulations
- ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations
- export control principles
- have computer literacy
- identify new business opportunities
What stands in the way is 7 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 26 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 a purchaser background worth leading with.
- already held manage purchasing cycle communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held category specific expertise business, administration and law
- already held track price trends information skills
- already held perform procurement market analysis information skills
- already held report accounts of the professional activity information skills
- already held analyse logistic changes information skills
All 26 carried skills, including the 13 the purchase planner role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 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 prepare purchasing reportings required
- still to learn visit suppliers required
- still to learn apply numeracy skills required
- still to learn perform market research required
- optional, not held carry out statistical forecasts optional
- optional, not held conduct research on food waste prevention optional
- optional, not held design indicators for food waste reduction optional
- still to learn negotiate buying conditions required
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
- optional, not held show diplomacy optional
- 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 transportation methods required
- optional, not held manufacturer's recommended price optional
- optional, not held check shipments optional
1 further area 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 prepare purchasing reportings practise this
- 02 transportation methods study this
- 03 visit suppliers 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 26 skills that carry over
- already held assess supplier risks skill
- already held embargo regulations knowledge
- already held ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations skill
- already held export control principles knowledge
- already held have computer literacy skill
- already held identify new business opportunities skill
- already held identify suppliers skill
- already held international import export regulations knowledge
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage purchasing cycle skill
- already held perform procurement processes skill
- already held supply chain management knowledge
- already held track price trends skill
- already held analyse consumer buying trends skill
- already held analyse logistic changes skill
- 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 international business knowledge
- already held negotiate sales contracts skill
- already held perform procurement market analysis skill
- already held procurement legislation knowledge
- already held procurement lifecycle knowledge
- already held report accounts of the professional activity skill
- already held use e-procurement skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held manage standard enterprise resource planning system optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held check shipments optional
- optional, not held manage procurement planning optional
- optional, not held manage standard enterprise resource planning system optional
- optional, not held manufacturer's recommended price optional
- optional, not held carry out statistical forecasts 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 plan schedule optional
- optional, not held show diplomacy optional
11 held skills the purchase planner role does not ask for
- 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 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 issue purchase orders 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 tender processes skill
- not needed by the target role speak different languages skill
2 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 transportation methods required
- optional, not held manufacturer's recommended price optional
Common questions about this move
Can a purchaser become a purchase planner?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A purchaser already covers 61% of what a purchase planner is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 13 of which the purchase planner role treats as required.
What skills does a purchaser need to become a purchase planner?
7 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is prepare purchasing reportings.
How hard is the move from purchaser to purchase planner?
Its learning distance is 44.7 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.