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Written by Marijn Overvest | Reviewed by Sjoerd Goedhart | Fact Checked by Ruud Emonds | Our editorial policy
Procurement as a Career — 7 Reasons Why You Should Choose Procurement
Key take-aways
- Procurement involves the process of identifying, selecting, and purchasing necessary goods or services from suppliers.
- Methods include direct purchase, competitive bidding, or tendering while ensuring timely supply.
- Crucial for businesses acquiring resources to run operations.
Procurement as a career is a fulfilling one, especially if you enjoy putting your knowledge to use in the real world. However, why choose it as a career?
For this article, we will discuss what procurement is as a career. Additionally, we will show you the usual procurement career path and reasons to pursue a career in procurement.
Once you are done reading this article, you will have a deeper knowledge of procurement as a career. Thus, allowing you to know if procurement suits you as your next job. So without further ado, let us now start.
What is Procurement?
If you like to start your journey in procurement, you must first know what procurement means. For many professionals, procurement means the process of identifying, shortlisting, selecting, and buying the necessary goods or services from a supplier.
Additionally, procurement can be done through direct purchase, competitive bidding, or tendering process while ensuring that the delivery of supplies is on time.
Procurement is usually associated with businesses as companies need to purchase goods or services in order to run their operations.
When you are going to start your career in procurement, you will surely be assigned to the procurement department where all the procurement process happens.
The procurement department is where you will meet all procurement professionals in your company. This is where you will discuss with other procurement professionals all strategies and options to streamline your procurement process.
The Most Common Types of Procurement Career Path
As we told you earlier, procurement as a career is fulfilling while also profitable. However, being a procurement professional requires you to have great confidence and skill in negotiation and procurement.
Nonetheless, if you really want to make procurement your career path, then you can easily find some jobs in procurement just by searching on the internet.
Although before you begin searching, here are some of the following positions that fall under procurement jobs:
1. Procurement analyst
A procurement analyst is the entry-level for every procurement job. He or she works closely with the procurement manager and is in charge of getting in touch with every department of your company.
2. Procurement manager
A procurement manager is the one responsible for initiating and managing procurement projects. He or she works closely with the suppliers and other internal teams of the company to ensure that the procurement process will run smoothly.
3. Strategic sourcing manager
The strategic sourcing manager is responsible for high-value purchases. To be a strategic sourcing manager, you must have an analytical mind and tactical spending. However, a strategic sourcing manager is often seen in bigger companies.
4. Procurement consultant
A procurement consultant is tasked with researching and analyzing the supply marketplace in procurement.
He or she has four areas of focus which are business process review, procurement advice, procurement system installation, and procurement training. A procurement consultant can also be a freelance or someone who works in a large consulting firm.
5. Chief Procurement officer
The chief procurement officer (CPO) is the executive-level job in procurement. Many people in procurement desire to achieve this rank. The CPO is responsible for overseeing all procurement activities. He or she ensures that all techniques and measures are followed to reduce costs and improve the procurement process.
These are the common job types that you will encounter once you pursue a career in procurement. All these positions are needed to ensure that the procurement process of a company is managed effectively.
If you are eager to learn more about procurement jobs, then check out our article about it by clicking here.
7 Reasons to Pursue Procurement as a Career
Here are 7 reasons to pursue procurement as a career, in case you need a little push!
Procurement is a global profession due to the fact that you can easily move around the world to work in different positions and companies.
The good thing about procurement is that it is the same all over the world. Thus, you will easily adapt if you move from one place to another. If there will be anything different, it will be according to the maturity level of a company.
Being a procurement professional, your decisions can heavily affect the environment. By becoming a procurement professional, you can help the company make informed decisions about which materials to buy.
You will be able to help the company switch to sustainability in order to reduce the impact of its procurement process on the environment.
Nowadays, many issues are arising such as reducing corporate risks, maintaining ethical standards, and managing business partners. These issues need a qualified procurement professional to manage them effectively.
Therefore, the demand has resulted in significant increases in the wage of procurement professionals. If you are certified, you will also be paid higher than your peers.
If you are looking for a certification program, then try our Negotiation Course for Procurement Professionals. Our course will give you all the knowledge that you need to be a master negotiator in procurement. Enroll now to get your certificate that will prove your expertise in procurement!
A salary report by CIPS has revealed that despite the turbulent economic and political year of 2022, the appetite in hiring procurement professionals has continued to increase. For companies, hiring one is not a choice anymore but a need to support and streamline their procurement process.
Even if you stay in a company for many years, your company will be needing you to research new ways that you can apply in your purchasing strategy. As business operations change frequently, you need to develop new skills and strategies too for you to keep up with them.
If you like to spend or go shopping, then this is the right career for you. Procurement as a career means you are responsible for all the needs of the company. Thus, it will give you the chance to manage the money of the company while doing what you want the most, which is to spend.
If you like to connect or to be exposed to many procurement professionals and leaders, then procurement is the right job for you. Through procurement, you can gain new connections which you can use to help the business grow more.
Additionally, meeting new people is a great experience. You will learn a lot of knowledge and practical skills that you can use in your profession. 1. Procurement is global
2. You can save the planet
3. It pays well
4. Fast-growing career
5. There are always new things to look out for
6. Spending others money
7. Gives you a lot of exposure
Conclusion
Procurement emerges as a dynamic and influential career path, offering a blend of financial management, global exposure, and the chance to contribute to sustainability. For those considering a career in procurement, the diverse roles, ongoing learning opportunities, and the potential to make a positive impact on businesses and the environment make it an appealing choice.
Whether starting as a procurement analyst or aspiring to become a Chief Procurement Officer, the procurement field opens doors to a fulfilling and continually evolving professional journey.
Frequentlyasked questions
What is procurement?
Procurement is the process of identifying, shortlisting, selecting, and buying the necessary goods or services from a supplier.
What is procurement as a career?
Procurement as a career means that you are going to pursue procurement as your career path. Additionally, if you are going to pursue it as a career, you need to improve your confidence. and skill in negotiation and procurement.
Is procurement a good career?
Procurement is a good career, especially if you desire to connect with people and purchase things. It also pays a competitive salary and enhances your skills in negotiation.
About the author
My name is Marijn Overvest, I’m the founder of Procurement Tactics. I have a deep passion for procurement, and I’ve upskilled over 200 procurement teams from all over the world. When I’m not working, I love running and cycling.
