Purchasing manager to ICT buyer
A purchasing manager already meets 42% of what the ICT buyer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.9/ 100
1 How much of what an ICT buyer 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 ICT buyer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An ICT buyer role treats 9 of its required skills as things a purchasing manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse supply chain strategies
- coordinate purchasing activities
- identify suppliers
- maintain contract administration
- maintain relationship with customers
- maintain relationship with suppliers
What stands in the way is 10 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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An ICT buyer 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 track price trends information skills
- already held use e-procurement working with computers
- already held coordinate purchasing activities communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held maintain contract administration information skills
- already held procurement legislation business, administration and law
- already held analyse supply chain strategies information skills
All 13 carried skills, including the 9 the ICT buyer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 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 manufacturer's recommended price required
- still to learn product comprehension required
- still to learn contract law required
- optional, not held ICT market optional
- optional, not held business requirements techniques optional
- optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
- still to learn issue purchase orders required
- still to learn carry out tendering required
- optional, not held manage logistics optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- still to learn compare contractors' bids required
- still to learn perform procurement processes required
- still to learn electronic communication required
- optional, not held emergent technologies optional
- still to learn prepare purchasing reportings required
- optional, not held identify ICT user needs optional
- still to learn adhere to organisational guidelines required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an ICT buyer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 issue purchase orders practise this
- 02 manufacturer's recommended price study this
- 03 prepare purchasing reportings 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held analyse supply chain strategies skill
- already held coordinate purchasing activities skill
- already held identify suppliers skill
- already held maintain contract administration skill
- already held maintain relationship with customers skill
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held negotiate buying conditions skill
- already held track price trends skill
- already held carry out statistical forecasts skill
- already held procurement legislation knowledge
- already held supply chain management knowledge
- already held use e-procurement skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held business ICT systems optional
- optional, not held hardware platforms optional
- optional, not held software components libraries optional
- optional, not held software components suppliers optional
- optional, not held hardware components optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT market optional
- optional, not held business ICT systems optional
- optional, not held business requirements techniques optional
- optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
- optional, not held hardware platforms optional
- optional, not held identify ICT user needs optional
- optional, not held software components libraries optional
- optional, not held software components suppliers optional
- optional, not held emergent technologies optional
- optional, not held hardware components optional
- optional, not held manage logistics optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
40 held skills the ICT buyer 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 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 category specific expertise knowledge
- 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 implement procurement of innovation skill
- not needed by the target role implement sustainable procurement 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 manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage inventory 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 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 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 strive for company growth skill
- not needed by the target role study sales levels of products skill
- not needed by the target role supplier management knowledge
- not needed by the target role supply chain principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role sustainable manufacturing knowledge
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
13 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 manufacturer's recommended price required
- still to learn product comprehension required
- still to learn contract law required
- still to learn electronic communication required
- optional, not held ICT market optional
- optional, not held business ICT systems optional
- optional, not held business requirements techniques optional
- optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
- optional, not held hardware platforms optional
- optional, not held software components libraries optional
- optional, not held software components suppliers optional
- optional, not held emergent technologies optional
- optional, not held hardware components 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
- purchase planner 38% covered · substantial
- procurement support officer 32% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a purchasing manager become an ICT buyer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A purchasing manager already covers 42% of what an ICT buyer is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 9 of which the ICT buyer role treats as required.
What skills does a purchasing manager need to become an ICT buyer?
10 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is issue purchase orders.
How hard is the move from purchasing manager to ICT buyer?
Its learning distance is 59.9 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.