RecordMove

Supply chain assistant to purchasing manager

A supply chain assistant already meets 18% of what the purchasing manager role asks for. The move turns on 19 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From supply chain assistant

Distant match

To purchasing manager

7 You already bring

19 Still to learn

53 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance A rebuild

83.3/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a purchasing manager is expected to do is already part of a supply chain assistant’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

Why this move works

A purchasing manager role treats 6 of its required skills as things a supply chain assistant already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

analyse supply chain strategies
coordinate purchasing activities
issue sales invoices
maintain relationship with suppliers
quality standards
supply chain principles

What stands in the way is 19 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 7 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 supply chain assistant background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held coordinate purchasing activities communication, collaboration and creativity
already held supply chain principles business, administration and law
already held analyse supply chain strategies information skills
already held international business business, administration and law
already held issue sales invoices management skills
already held maintain relationship with suppliers communication, collaboration and creativity

All 7 carried skills, including the 6 the purchasing manager role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 46 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 6 required, 6 supplementary

still to learn maintain relationship with customers required
still to learn negotiate sales contracts required
still to learn liaise with managers required
still to learn manage contracts required
still to learn negotiate buying conditions required
still to learn order supplies required

optional, not held assess procurement needs optional
optional, not held implement procurement of innovation optional
optional, not held implement sustainable procurement optional
optional, not held advise on sustainable management policies optional
optional, not held attend trade fairs optional
optional, not held train employees optional

02 information skills 5 required, 7 supplementary

still to learn analyse supply chain trends required
still to learn assess supplier risks required
still to learn analyse logistic changes 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 perform procurement market analysis optional
optional, not held track price trends optional
optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends 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

03 management skills 4 required, 6 supplementary

still to learn manage inventory required
still to learn identify suppliers 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

04 business, administration and law 3 required, 6 supplementary

still to learn corporate social responsibility required
still to learn supplier management required
still to learn supply chain management required

optional, not held category specific expertise optional
optional, not held market pricing optional
optional, not held procurement lifecycle optional
optional, not held pricing strategies optional
optional, not held procurement legislation optional
optional, not held risk management optional

05 assisting and caring 1 required

still to learn follow company standards required

06 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 supplementary

optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

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.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 7 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held analyse supply chain strategies skill
already held coordinate purchasing activities skill
already held issue sales invoices skill
already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
already held quality standards knowledge
already held supply chain principles knowledge
already held international business knowledge

The 1 learning area not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 working with computers 1 supplementary

optional, not held use e-procurement optional

27 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held assess procurement needs optional
optional, not held category specific expertise optional
optional, not held implement procurement of innovation optional
optional, not held implement sustainable procurement optional
optional, not held manage procurement planning optional
optional, not held market pricing optional
optional, not held monitor stock level optional
optional, not held perform procurement market analysis optional
optional, not held procurement lifecycle optional
optional, not held track price trends optional
optional, not held use e-procurement optional
optional, not held advise on sustainable management policies optional
optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends 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 procurement legislation 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

27 held skills the purchasing manager role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role assist in planning production scheduling skill
not needed by the target role budget for financial needs skill
not needed by the target role carry out inventory control accuracy skill
not needed by the target role direct logistical functions skill
not needed by the target role forecast production quantities skill
not needed by the target role handle returns skill
not needed by the target role identify key processes of traceability systems skill
not needed by the target role identify software for warehouse management skill
not needed by the target role interpret business information skill
not needed by the target role inventory management rules knowledge
not needed by the target role monitor manufacturing quality standards skill
not needed by the target role monitor staff absences skill
not needed by the target role office software knowledge
not needed by the target role operations department processes knowledge
not needed by the target role organise business documents skill
not needed by the target role perform business research skill
not needed by the target role perform office routine activities skill
not needed by the target role prepare purchasing reportings skill
not needed by the target role provide technical documentation skill
not needed by the target role purchase supplies skill
not needed by the target role receive shipment packaging information skill
not needed by the target role sales department processes knowledge
not needed by the target role support managers skill
not needed by the target role use office systems skill
not needed by the target role use production planning software skill
not needed by the target role use sales forecasting softwares skill
not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill

10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn corporate social responsibility required
still to learn supplier management required
still to learn supply chain management required
optional, not held category specific expertise optional
optional, not held market pricing optional
optional, not held procurement lifecycle optional
optional, not held pricing strategies optional
optional, not held procurement legislation optional
optional, not held risk management optional
optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional

Index

Other moves recorded from supply chain assistant

Full index of moves from supply chain assistant

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a supply chain assistant become a purchasing manager?

Yes, and it is a career change move. A supply chain assistant already covers 18% of what a purchasing manager is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 6 of which the purchasing manager role treats as required.

What skills does a supply chain assistant need to become a purchasing manager?

19 required skills are missing, plus 27 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is analyse supply chain trends.

How hard is the move from supply chain assistant to purchasing manager?

Its learning distance is 83.3 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.