Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

purchasertopurchasing manager

A purchaser already meets 40% of what the purchasing manager role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.

From purchaser
40%
Overlap1
To purchasing manager
21 Skills carried over
15 Required, not held
66 Difficulty2
Career overlap Distant match

40%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

66/ 100

1 Share of the purchasing manager role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the purchaser profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A purchasing manager role treats 10 of its required skills as things a purchaser already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • analyse logistic changes
  • analyse supply chain strategies
  • assess supplier risks
  • coordinate purchasing activities
  • identify suppliers
  • maintain relationship with customers

What stands in the way is 15 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 21 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 purchaser background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held category specific expertise business, administration and law
  • already held perform procurement market analysis information skills
  • already held track price trends information skills
  • already held analyse logistic changes information skills
  • already held assess procurement needs communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held implement sustainable procurement communication, collaboration and creativity

All 21 carried skills, including the 10 the purchasing manager role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 32 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier
01 management skills 4 required, 6 supplementary
  • required, not held issue sales invoices required
  • required, not held manage inventory required
  • required, not held manage budgets required
  • required, not held 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
02 business, administration and law 4 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held corporate social responsibility required
  • required, not held supplier management required
  • required, not held quality standards required
  • required, not held supply chain principles required
  • optional, not held market pricing optional
  • optional, not held pricing strategies optional
  • optional, not held risk management optional
03 information skills 3 required, 4 supplementary
  • required, not held analyse supply chain trends required
  • required, not held estimate costs of required supplies required
  • required, not held study sales levels of products required
  • optional, not held monitor stock level 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
04 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held liaise with managers required
  • required, not held negotiate buying conditions required
  • required, not held 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
05 assisting and caring 1 required
  • required, not held 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 21 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held analyse logistic changes skill
  • already held analyse supply chain strategies skill
  • already held assess supplier risks 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 sales contracts skill
  • already held supply chain management knowledge
  • already held analyse consumer buying trends 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 perform procurement market analysis skill
  • already held procurement legislation knowledge
  • already held procurement lifecycle knowledge
  • already held track price trends skill
  • already held use e-procurement skill
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held manage procurement planning optional
  • optional, not held market pricing optional
  • optional, not held monitor stock level optional
  • optional, not held advise on sustainable management policies 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 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
16 held skills the purchasing manager role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role analyse logistic needs 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 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 international import export regulations knowledge
  • not needed by the target role issue purchase orders 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 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
8 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 acquire Tier
  • required, not held corporate social responsibility required
  • required, not held supplier management required
  • required, not held quality standards required
  • required, not held supply chain principles required
  • optional, not held market pricing optional
  • optional, not held pricing strategies optional
  • optional, not held risk management optional
  • optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional
Index

Other moves recorded from purchaser

Full index of moves from purchaser

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.