Purchaser to purchasing 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.
66/ 100
1 How much of what a purchasing manager 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 purchasing manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A purchasing manager role treats 10 of its required skills as things a purchaser already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- 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 · 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.
- 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 · What you may need to learn
The 32 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 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 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 market pricing optional
- optional, not held pricing strategies optional
- optional, not held risk management optional
- still to learn analyse supply chain trends 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 calculate purchasing levels of raw materials optional
- optional, not held carry out statistical forecasts optional
- optional, not held maintain contract administration optional
- still to learn liaise with managers required
- still to learn negotiate buying conditions 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
- 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 corporate social responsibility study this
- 03 issue sales invoices 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 21 skills that carry over
- 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
- 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
- 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.
- 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 market pricing 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 a purchaser become a purchasing manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A purchaser already covers 40% of what a purchasing manager is expected to do: 21 skills carry over, 10 of which the purchasing manager role treats as required.
What skills does a purchaser need to become a purchasing manager?
15 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is analyse supply chain trends.
How hard is the move from purchaser to purchasing manager?
Its learning distance is 66 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.