Purchasing manager to procurement support officer
A purchasing manager already meets 32% of what the procurement support officer role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.7/ 100
1 How much of what a procurement support officer 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 procurement support officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A procurement support officer role treats 7 of its required skills as things a purchasing manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assess procurement needs
- maintain relationship with suppliers
- manage contracts
- perform procurement market analysis
- procurement lifecycle
- supplier management
What stands in the way is 12 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 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A procurement support officer 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 perform procurement market analysis information skills
- already held assess procurement needs communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held procurement lifecycle business, administration and law
- already held use e-procurement working with computers
- already held supplier management business, administration and law
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers communication, collaboration and creativity
All 7 carried skills, including the 7 the procurement support officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 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 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 draft procurement technical specifications required
- still to learn cooperate with colleagues required
- optional, not held address problems critically optional
- optional, not held manage relationships with stakeholders optional
- optional, not held use communication techniques optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
- still to learn e-procurement required
- still to learn organisational structure required
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- still to learn draft tender documentation required
- still to learn perform contract reporting and evaluation required
- optional, not held implement risk management in procurement optional
- still to learn teamwork principles required
- optional, not held communication principles optional
- still to learn provide technical documentation required
- optional, not held develop performance orientation in public administration optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a procurement support officer 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 draft procurement technical specifications 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 7 skills that carry over
- already held assess procurement needs skill
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held perform procurement market analysis skill
- 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 morality required
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held develop performance orientation in public administration optional
- optional, not held implement risk management in procurement optional
- optional, not held address problems critically optional
- optional, not held communication principles optional
- optional, not held manage relationships with stakeholders optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- optional, not held use communication techniques optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
46 held skills the procurement support officer 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 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 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 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 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 buying conditions 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 pricing strategies knowledge
- not needed by the target role procurement legislation 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
6 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 e-procurement required
- still to learn morality required
- still to learn organisational structure required
- still to learn teamwork principles required
- optional, not held communication principles optional
- optional, not held project management principles 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 procurement support officer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A purchasing manager already covers 32% of what a procurement support officer is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 7 of which the procurement support officer role treats as required.
What skills does a purchasing manager need to become a procurement support officer?
12 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is adhere to organisational code of ethics.
How hard is the move from purchasing manager to procurement support officer?
Its learning distance is 65.7 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.