Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Supply chain manager to purchase planner

A supply chain manager already meets 32% of what the purchase planner role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From supply chain manager
32 % overlap
Distant match
To purchase planner
13 You already bring
13 Still to learn
45 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

71.1/ 100

1 How much of what a purchase planner is expected to do is already part of a supply chain 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 purchase planner role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A purchase planner role treats 7 of its required skills as things a supply chain manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • assess supplier risks
  • identify suppliers
  • maintain relationship with suppliers
  • negotiate buying conditions
  • supply chain management
  • track price trends

What stands in the way is 13 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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A purchase planner role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a supply chain manager background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held visit suppliers information skills
  • already held track price trends information skills
  • already held analyse logistic changes information skills
  • already held manage standard enterprise resource planning system working with computers
  • already held analyse consumer buying trends information skills
  • already held carry out statistical forecasts information skills

All 13 carried skills, including the 7 the purchase planner role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 32 missing skills fall into 8 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 business, administration and law 3 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn embargo regulations required
  • still to learn international import export regulations required
  • still to learn export control principles required
  • optional, not held category specific expertise optional
  • optional, not held manufacturer's recommended price optional
  • optional, not held procurement lifecycle optional
  • optional, not held procurement legislation optional
02 information skills 3 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn prepare purchasing reportings required
  • still to learn apply numeracy skills required
  • still to learn perform market research required
  • optional, not held perform procurement market analysis optional
  • optional, not held report accounts of the professional activity optional
  • optional, not held conduct research on food waste prevention optional
  • optional, not held design indicators for food waste reduction optional
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 6 supplementary
  • still to learn manage purchasing cycle required
  • still to learn perform procurement processes 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 communicate with customers optional
  • optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
  • optional, not held show diplomacy optional
04 management skills 2 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn identify new business opportunities required
  • still to learn perform multiple tasks at the same time required
  • optional, not held manage procurement planning optional
  • optional, not held develop food waste reduction strategies optional
  • optional, not held plan schedule optional
05 working with computers 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn have computer literacy required
  • optional, not held use e-procurement optional
06 assisting and caring 1 required
  • still to learn ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a purchase planner 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 13 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held assess supplier risks skill
  • already held identify suppliers skill
  • already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
  • already held negotiate buying conditions skill
  • already held supply chain management knowledge
  • already held track price trends skill
  • already held visit suppliers skill
  • already held analyse consumer buying trends skill
  • already held analyse logistic changes skill
  • already held carry out statistical forecasts skill
  • already held international business knowledge
  • already held manage standard enterprise resource planning system skill
  • already held negotiate sales contracts skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 services 1 required
  • still to learn transportation methods required
08 handling and moving 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held check shipments optional
19 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 check shipments 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 manufacturer's recommended price optional
  • optional, not held perform procurement market analysis optional
  • optional, not held procurement lifecycle optional
  • optional, not held report accounts of the professional activity optional
  • optional, not held use e-procurement optional
  • optional, not held communicate with customers optional
  • optional, not held conduct research on food waste prevention optional
  • optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
  • optional, not held design indicators for food waste reduction optional
  • optional, not held develop food waste reduction strategies optional
  • optional, not held plan schedule optional
  • optional, not held procurement legislation optional
  • optional, not held show diplomacy optional
86 held skills the purchase planner role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role accurately estimate work hours skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on sustainable management policies skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse business plans skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse economic trends skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse logistic needs skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse market financial trends 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 apply change management skill
  • not needed by the target role apply for government funding skill
  • not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
  • not needed by the target role assist in planning production scheduling skill
  • not needed by the target role attend trade fairs skill
  • not needed by the target role business strategy concepts knowledge
  • not needed by the target role calculate purchasing levels of raw materials skill
  • not needed by the target role carry out tendering skill
  • not needed by the target role conflict management knowledge
  • not needed by the target role control financial resources skill
  • not needed by the target role control trade commercial documentation skill
  • 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 develop professional network skill
  • not needed by the target role direct logistical functions skill
  • not needed by the target role economics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ensure cross-department cooperation skill
  • 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 estimate duration of work skill
  • not needed by the target role estimate profitability skill
  • not needed by the target role financial forecasting knowledge
  • not needed by the target role follow company standards skill
  • not needed by the target role forecast dividend trends skill
  • not needed by the target role forecast economic trends skill
  • not needed by the target role forecast future levels of business skill
  • not needed by the target role forecast production quantities skill
  • not needed by the target role forecast products' demand skill
  • not needed by the target role forecast sales over periods of time skill
  • not needed by the target role forecast workload skill
  • not needed by the target role geographical routes knowledge

46 further entries not listed here

8 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 embargo regulations required
  • still to learn international import export regulations required
  • still to learn transportation methods required
  • still to learn export control principles required
  • optional, not held category specific expertise optional
  • optional, not held manufacturer's recommended price optional
  • optional, not held procurement lifecycle optional
  • optional, not held procurement legislation optional
Index

Other moves recorded from supply chain manager

Full index of moves from supply chain manager

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a supply chain manager become a purchase planner?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A supply chain manager already covers 32% of what a purchase planner is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 7 of which the purchase planner role treats as required.

What skills does a supply chain manager need to become a purchase planner?

13 required skills are missing, plus 19 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is embargo regulations.

How hard is the move from supply chain manager to purchase planner?

Its learning distance is 71.1 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.