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Purchasing Manager job description

A Purchasing Manager is responsible for developing and executing purchasing strategies, tracking metrics to reduce expenses, negotiating deals, and managing vendors. They ensure clear requirements, forecast market trends, mitigate risks, and collaborate with stakeholders. Strong leadership, negotiation, and analytical skills are required.

Eleni Kourmentza
Eleni Kourmentza

Eleni, ex-People Ops Manager at Workable, excelled in recruitment, lifecycle management, and employer branding.

Refreshed on

June 1, 2023

Reviewed by

Eftychia Karavelaki

Senior Recruitment Manager

This Purchasing Manager job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages. It is easy to customize this purchasing job description for your company’s specific needs.

What does a Purchasing Manager do?

A Purchasing Manager is responsible for developing and executing purchasing strategies, tracking metrics, negotiating deals, and managing vendors. They collaborate with stakeholders, forecast market trends, and ensure clear requirements documentation. Their role involves analyzing costs, mitigating risks, and determining optimal delivery quantities and timings.

What skills should a Purchasing Manager have?

A Purchasing Manager should have strong leadership capabilities, negotiation skills, and analytical abilities. They should be familiar with sourcing and vendor management, possess business sense, and be proficient in gathering and analyzing data. Additionally, they should have decision-making skills and be proficient in vendor management software.

Purchasing Manager responsibilities include:

  • Developing, leading and executing purchasing strategies
  • Tracking and reporting key functional metrics to reduce expenses and improve effectiveness
  • Crafting negotiation strategies and closing deals with optimal terms

purchasing manager job description

Job brief

As a Purchasing Manager, your role will involve sourcing equipment, goods, and services, as well as managing vendors.

You will be responsible for performing strategic procurement activities across various spend categories, aiming to find better deals and more profitable suppliers.

Your expertise in supplier relationship management and negotiation skills will be crucial in ensuring cost-effective and high-quality procurement.

Additionally, you will analyze market trends, forecast demand, and mitigate risks to optimize the procurement process.

By leveraging your knowledge of supply chain management and your ability to identify opportunities for improvement, you will contribute to the overall success of our organization’s purchasing operations.

 

Responsibilities

  • Develop, lead and execute purchasing strategies
  • Track and report key functional metrics to reduce expenses and improve effectiveness
  • Craft negotiation strategies and close deals with optimal terms
  • Partner with stakeholders to ensure clear requirements documentation
  • Forecast price and market trends to identify changes of balance in buyer-supplier power
  • Perform cost and scenario analysis, and benchmarking
  • Assess, manage and mitigate risks
  • Seek and partner with reliable vendors and suppliers
  • Determine quantity and timing of deliveries
  • Monitor and forecast upcoming levels of demand

Requirements and skills

  • Proven working experience as Purchasing Manager, Agent or Officer
  • Familiarity with sourcing and vendor management
  • Interest in market dynamics along with business sense
  • A knack for negotiation and networking
  • Working experience of vendor management software
  • Ability to gather and analyse data and to work with figures
  • Solid judgement along with decision making skills
  • Strong leadership capabilities
  • BS degree in supply chain management, logistics or business administration

Frequently asked questions

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