Purchasing Managers Occupation Details

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Purchasing Managers

The main tasks and work activities of Purchasing Managers are to maintain operational records, coordinate with external parties to exchange information, interview employees, customers, or others to collect information, prepare forms or applications. In general, for the Purchasing Managers, social Perceptiveness, critical Thinking, speaking, active Listening and other 17 skills are required.

Purchasing Managers Job Description
Education	Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Related Experience	A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Job Training	Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Example	Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include real estate brokers, sales managers, database administrators, graphic designers, chemists, art directors, and cost estimators.

The following chart shows the education/training levels for Purchasing Managers jobs.

Less than a High School Diploma

0.00%

High School Diploma (or the equivalent)

0.00%

Post-Secondary Certificate

0.00%

Some College Courses

0.00%

Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)

10.00%

Bachelor's Degree and Above

90.00%

Tasks and Work Activities of Purchasing Managers

Maintain records of goods ordered and received.
Locate vendors of materials, equipment or supplies, and interview them to determine product availability and terms of sales.
Prepare and process requisitions and purchase orders for supplies and equipment.
Control purchasing department budgets.
Interview and hire staff, and oversee staff training.
Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy.
Analyze market and delivery systems to assess present and future material availability.
Develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures.
Participate in the development of specifications for equipment, products, or substitute materials.
Resolve vendor or contractor grievances, and claims against suppliers.
Represent companies in negotiating contracts and formulating policies with suppliers.
Review, evaluate, and approve specifications for issuing and awarding bids.
Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in buying, selling, and distributing materials, equipment, machinery, and supplies.
Prepare bid awards requiring board approval.
Prepare reports regarding market conditions and merchandise costs.
Administer online purchasing systems.
Arrange for disposal of surplus materials.
Develop cost reduction strategies and savings plans.

Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with OthersHandling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Communicating with Persons Outside OrganizationCommunicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Analyzing Data or InformationIdentifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
Developing and Building TeamsEncouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating SubordinatesProviding guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.

Maintain operational records.
Coordinate with external parties to exchange information.
Interview employees, customers, or others to collect information.
Prepare forms or applications.
Prepare operational budgets.
Hire personnel.
Conduct employee training programs.
Examine financial records to ensure compliance with policies or regulations.
Implement transportation changes to reduce environmental impact.
Analyze data to inform operational decisions or activities.
Develop operating strategies, plans, or procedures.
Develop organizational policies or programs.
Implement organizational process or policy changes.
Develop specifications for new products or processes.
Resolve employee or contractor problems.
Negotiate sales or lease agreements for products or services.
Supervise employees.
Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets.
Direct financial operations.
Schedule product or material transportation.

Skills and Abilities for Purchasing Managers

Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
NegotiationBringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
PersuasionPersuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
Management of Personnel ResourcesMotivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
InstructingTeaching others how to do something.
Management of Material ResourcesObtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
Management of Financial ResourcesDetermining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
Systems AnalysisDetermining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

Fluency of IdeasThe ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
OriginalityThe ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Mathematical ReasoningThe ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Number FacilityThe ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

Desktop calculatore.g. 10-key calculators
Desktop computerse.g. Desktop computers
Personal computerse.g. Personal computers

Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Economics and AccountingKnowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
MathematicsKnowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Computers and ElectronicsKnowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Personnel and Human ResourcesKnowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Law and GovernmentKnowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Production and ProcessingKnowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Education and TrainingKnowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
ClericalKnowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Purchasing Managers Occupation Detailed Description

Tasks and Work Activities of Purchasing Managers

Skills and Abilities for Purchasing Managers