Purchasing manager to contract manager
A purchasing manager already meets 31% of what the contract manager role asks for. The move turns on 20 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.4/ 100
1 How much of what a contract manager is expected to do is already part of a purchasing manager’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 contract manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A contract manager role treats 9 of its required skills as things a purchasing manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- implement procurement of innovation
- implement sustainable procurement
- maintain relationship with suppliers
- manage contracts
- manage procurement planning
- negotiate buying conditions
What stands in the way is 20 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 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A contract manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a purchasing manager background worth leading with.
- already held manage procurement planning management skills
- 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
- already held use e-procurement working with computers
- already held supplier management business, administration and law
All 10 carried skills, including the 9 the contract manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 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 negotiate improvement with suppliers required
- still to learn adapt to changing situations required
- still to learn address problems critically required
- still to learn cooperate with colleagues required
- still to learn manage contract disputes required
- still to learn manage relationships with stakeholders required
- still to learn negotiate supplier arrangements required
- still to learn use communication techniques required
- still to learn adhere to organisational code of ethics required
- still to learn apply certification and payment procedures required
- still to learn adhere to organisational guidelines required
- still to learn implement risk management in procurement required
- still to learn keep up-to-date with regulations required
- still to learn perform contract reporting and evaluation required
- still to learn organisational structure required
- still to learn project management principles required
- optional, not held e-procurement optional
- still to learn communication principles required
- still to learn teamwork principles required
- still to learn morality required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a contract manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 adhere to organisational code of ethics practise this
- 02 apply certification and payment procedures practise this
- 03 develop performance orientation in public administration 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 10 skills that carry over
- 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 manage procurement planning skill
- already held negotiate buying conditions skill
- already held procurement legislation knowledge
- already held procurement lifecycle knowledge
- already held supplier management knowledge
- already held use e-procurement skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- still to learn develop performance orientation in public administration required
1 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held e-procurement optional
43 held skills the contract manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on sustainable management policies skill
- 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 supply chain strategies skill
- not needed by the target role analyse supply chain trends skill
- not needed by the target role assess procurement needs skill
- not needed by the target role assess supplier risks skill
- not needed by the target role attend trade fairs skill
- not needed by the target role calculate purchasing levels of raw materials skill
- not needed by the target role carry out statistical forecasts skill
- not needed by the target role category specific expertise knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate purchasing activities skill
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure equipment availability skill
- not needed by the target role estimate costs of required supplies skill
- not needed by the target role follow company standards skill
- not needed by the target role identify suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role international business knowledge
- not needed by the target role issue sales invoices skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role maintain contract administration skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with customers skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage inventory skill
- not needed by the target role manage rented goods returns skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role manage supplies skill
- not needed by the target role market pricing knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor stock level skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate sales contracts skill
- not needed by the target role order supplies skill
- not needed by the target role perform procurement market analysis skill
- not needed by the target role pricing strategies knowledge
- not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role risk management knowledge
- not needed by the target role strive for company growth skill
- not needed by the target role study sales levels of products skill
- not needed by the target role supply chain management knowledge
- not needed by the target role supply chain principles knowledge
3 further entries not listed here
6 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 communication principles required
- still to learn morality required
- still to learn organisational structure required
- still to learn project management principles required
- still to learn teamwork principles required
- optional, not held e-procurement optional
Other moves recorded from purchasing manager
- forecast manager 66% covered · moderate
- resource manager 62% covered · moderate
- supply chain manager 53% covered · substantial
- procurement category specialist 50% covered · moderate
- purchaser 48% covered · substantial
- ICT vendor relationship manager 46% covered · substantial
- ICT buyer 42% covered · substantial
- purchase planner 38% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a purchasing manager become a contract manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A purchasing manager already covers 31% of what a contract manager is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 9 of which the contract manager role treats as required.
What skills does a purchasing manager need to become a contract manager?
20 required skills are missing, plus 1 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is adhere to organisational code of ethics.
How hard is the move from purchasing manager to contract manager?
Its learning distance is 70.4 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.