Purchasing manager to forecast manager
A purchasing manager already meets 66% of what the forecast manager role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
39.2/ 100
1 How much of what a forecast 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 forecast manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A forecast manager role treats 18 of its required skills as things a purchasing manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse logistic changes
- analyse supply chain strategies
- analyse supply chain trends
- assess supplier risks
- corporate social responsibility
- estimate costs of required supplies
What stands in the way is 6 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 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A forecast 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 calculate purchasing levels of raw materials information skills
- already held estimate costs of required supplies information skills
- already held analyse logistic changes information skills
- already held coordinate purchasing activities communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held supply chain principles business, administration and law
- already held supplier management business, administration and law
All 22 carried skills, including the 18 the forecast manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 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 analyse economic trends required
- still to learn analyse market financial trends required
- still to learn forecast future levels of business required
- still to learn forecast production quantities required
- optional, not held analyse logistic needs optional
- optional, not held monitor ingredient storage optional
- optional, not held forecast economic trends optional
- optional, not held forecast sales over periods of time optional
- still to learn forecast dividend trends required
- optional, not held assist in planning production scheduling optional
- optional, not held forecast products' demand optional
- optional, not held manage logistics optional
- still to learn financial forecasting required
- optional, not held consumer goods industry optional
- optional, not held manage standard enterprise resource planning system optional
- optional, not held use sales forecasting softwares optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
- optional, not held economics optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a forecast manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 analyse economic trends practise this
- 02 analyse market financial trends practise this
- 03 financial forecasting study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 22 skills that carry over
- already held analyse logistic changes skill
- already held analyse supply chain strategies skill
- already held analyse supply chain trends skill
- already held assess supplier risks skill
- already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
- already held estimate costs of required supplies skill
- already held follow company standards skill
- already held identify suppliers skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held maintain relationship with customers skill
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage inventory skill
- already held manage supplies skill
- already held order supplies skill
- already held strive for company growth skill
- already held supplier management knowledge
- already held supply chain management knowledge
- already held supply chain principles knowledge
- already held calculate purchasing levels of raw materials skill
- already held coordinate purchasing activities skill
- already held international business knowledge
- already held study sales levels of products skill
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held analyse logistic needs optional
- optional, not held manage standard enterprise resource planning system optional
- optional, not held monitor ingredient storage optional
- optional, not held assist in planning production scheduling optional
- optional, not held consumer goods industry optional
- optional, not held economics optional
- optional, not held forecast economic trends optional
- optional, not held forecast products' demand optional
- optional, not held forecast sales over periods of time optional
- optional, not held manage logistics optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
- optional, not held use sales forecasting softwares optional
31 held skills the forecast 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 assess procurement needs skill
- not needed by the target role attend trade fairs 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 ensure equipment availability skill
- not needed by the target role implement procurement of innovation skill
- not needed by the target role implement sustainable procurement skill
- not needed by the target role issue sales invoices skill
- not needed by the target role maintain contract administration skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role manage procurement planning 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 market pricing knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor stock level skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate buying conditions skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate sales contracts 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 procurement legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role procurement lifecycle 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 sustainable manufacturing knowledge
- not needed by the target role track price trends skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
- not needed by the target role use e-procurement skill
4 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 financial forecasting required
- optional, not held consumer goods industry optional
- optional, not held economics optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
Other moves recorded from purchasing manager
- 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
- procurement support officer 32% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a purchasing manager become a forecast manager?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A purchasing manager already covers 66% of what a forecast manager is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 18 of which the forecast manager role treats as required.
What skills does a purchasing manager need to become a forecast manager?
6 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is analyse economic trends.
How hard is the move from purchasing manager to forecast manager?
Its learning distance is 39.2 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.