Introduction to Purchase Management Career
Every organization require to purchase materials or goods for its functioning. So, purchase management career in an organization is important and significant. They are handling all types of purchase in an organization.
What is Purchase Management?
Purchasing management in general deals with all buying activities in an organization. This is also referred to as Procurement Management in some organization. Purchase management will identify and purchase required materials or goods for a company with best deal for the company. This may include many steps from identifying required materials to identify good suppliers to managing good relationship with suppliers.
Roles and Responsibilities of a Purchase Management Career
Purchase management plays an important role in a company management especially in manufacturing companies. The size and role of purchase department varies from organization to organization. Large organizations have separate department, while small organizations may have very few in numbers. The role is to identify the requirements, identify sources of materials required, select suitable suppliers, arrange contracts, make sure the contracts are executed correctly, and manage relationships with them. Generally, their role is to make sure the organization runs without any distraction and also without having an overburden on inventory levels. If the organization is big, purchase manager will lead the department and plays a supervisory role in it.
Educational Qualification Required
Minimum educational qualification required for career in purchase management depends on the size of the organization and role he plays in it. Preferred minimum qualification is Bachelor degree in business administration. A post graduate degree like MBA is preferred for higher positions like purchase manager.
Skills and Knowledge Required
A purchase manager must have knowledge in many fields like law, financial management, project management, operational management, computer knowledge, internet knowledge, etc. Along with this, they should also have some essential skills. Some of the skills include communication skills, negotiation skills, persuasive skills, analytical skills, problem solving skills, leadership qualities, etc.
How to become a Purchase Management Professional?
A bachelor degree in management is considered as a minimum qualification for getting career in purchase management. This degree can be obtained after obtaining 10 + 2 or equivalent qualification. Master in Business Administration (MBA) can be obtained from a business school. MBA course can be done after completing any degree. Entrance tests and different entrance procedures are there for each college. Other than this there are many certificate courses and diploma courses available in purchase management to get qualified specifically. This will improve chance of getting career in purchase management.
Where do I get the Job?
There are many opportunities available for purchase management career in different organizations. Industries such as manufacturing, logistics, pharmaceuticals and medical, fashion and textile, financial corporations, tourism and travel, etc. require purchase management professionals. Telecom and IT industries and all other industries also require purchase management professionals in various levels. Thus, there are wide scope of employment opportunities for purchase management professionals.