Purchasing Managers

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

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

Skills

• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.

Abilities

• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.

Knowledge

• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge 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.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Education

Education

Bachelor's degree

Work Experience

5 years or more work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

Close

Pay

Washington Annual Salary

165170/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

79.41/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

2,370

Yearly Projected Openings

210

Personality

Enterprising: People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business. They do well at jobs that need:

• Integrity
• Attention to Detail
• Cooperation
• Dependability
• Stress Tolerance
• Adaptability/Flexibility

Tools

• Desktop calculator
• Desktop computers
• Personal computers

Technology

• Business intelligence and data analysis software
• Calendar and scheduling software
• Cloud-based data access and sharing software
• Data base reporting software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Electronic mail software
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• Financial analysis software
• Internet browser software
• Inventory management software
• Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software
• Office suite software
• Point of sale POS software
• Presentation software
• Process mapping and design software
• Procurement software
• Project management software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software