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Purchasing Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of buyers, purchasing officers, and related workers involved in purchasing materials, products, and services. Includes wholesale or retail trade merchandising managers and procurement managers.
Other titles employers use
Category Purchasing Manager · Commodity Manager · Materials Director · Materials Manager · Procurement Director · Procurement Manager · Purchasing Director · Purchasing Manager
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures.
- Locate vendors of materials, equipment or supplies, and interview them to determine product availability and terms of sales.
- Prepare bid awards requiring board approval.
- Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in buying, selling, and distributing materials, equipment, machinery, and supplies.
- Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy.
- Review, evaluate, and approve specifications for issuing and awarding bids.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to persuading and organizing work.
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Monitoring
Subjects to know
- Administration and Management
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Law and Government
- Economics and Accounting
Useful strengths
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Written Comprehension
- Fluency of Ideas
- Deductive Reasoning
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 2.4 | Largely your own space |
| On your feet | 1.8 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.6 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 1.6 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a bachelor's degree. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A four-year degree 53%
- A certificate or some college 21%
- A two-year degree 11%
- A master's degree 10%
- High school or less 5%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Electronic mail software
- Project management software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Presentation software
- Document management software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 8,420
- Job openings each year
- 690
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 18.1%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 8,420 | 690 | 18.1% |
| California | 8,100 | 620 | 6.6% |
| Illinois | 4,320 | 320 | 1.4% |
| New York | 4,140 | 30 | 7.8% |
| Florida | 3,970 | 320 | 13.4% |
| Virginia | 3,880 | 300 | 6.9% |
| North Carolina | 3,370 | 260 | 10.1% |
| Michigan | 2,970 | 220 | 3.5% |
| New Jersey | 2,730 | 210 | 5.0% |
| Pennsylvania | 2,700 | 200 | 4.2% |
| Georgia | 2,620 | 210 | 11.0% |
| Maryland | 2,530 | 190 | 7.2% |
| Ohio | 2,460 | 180 | 4.2% |
| Washington | 2,370 | 210 | 8.7% |
| Arizona | 2,180 | 180 | 14.1% |
| Connecticut | 1,760 | 130 | 5.4% |
| Missouri | 1,760 | 130 | 3.5% |
| Tennessee | 1,700 | 140 | 21.4% |
| District of Columbia | 1,640 | 110 | −4.1% |
| Minnesota | 1,520 | 120 | 7.8% |
| Alabama | 1,370 | 110 | 7.0% |
| Indiana | 1,290 | 100 | 5.7% |
| Oregon | 1,280 | 100 | 12.3% |
| Wisconsin | 1,280 | 100 | 8.5% |
| Arkansas | 1,260 | 100 | 12.5% |
| South Carolina | 1,100 | 90 | 14.6% |
| Massachusetts | 960 | 70 | 3.2% |
| Utah | 960 | 80 | 24.7% |
| Colorado | 950 | 80 | 13.1% |
| Kansas | 790 | 60 | 6.8% |
| Iowa | 590 | 50 | 7.3% |
| Kentucky | 580 | 50 | 5.5% |
| New Hampshire | 520 | 40 | 6.1% |
| Puerto Rico | 510 | 40 | 13.3% |
| Louisiana | 490 | 40 | 8.9% |
| Nebraska | 490 | 40 | 6.5% |
| Idaho | 430 | 40 | 19.4% |
| Oklahoma | 420 | 30 | 5.0% |
| Mississippi | 410 | 30 | 13.9% |
| Maine | 310 | 20 | — |
| Rhode Island | 230 | 20 | 4.5% |
| West Virginia | 210 | 20 | 5.0% |
| New Mexico | 190 | 20 | 11.8% |
| Vermont | 180 | 10 | 12.5% |
| Delaware | 170 | 10 | — |
| Alaska | 160 | 10 | 6.7% |
| Montana | 110 | 10 | 22.2% |
| South Dakota | 90 | 10 | 12.5% |
| Guam | 70 | 10 | 16.7% |
| North Dakota | 30 | 0 | — |
| Wyoming | 20 | 0 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Southern New Hampshire University
- Degrees each year
- 5,571
- Admit rate
- 96%
- Annual cost after aid
- $37,000
Western Governors University
- Degrees each year
- 2,505
- Admit rate
- Not reported
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
California State University-Fullerton
- Degrees each year
- 2,134
- Admit rate
- 87%
- Annual cost after aid
- $6,000
San Diego State University
- Degrees each year
- 2,008
- Admit rate
- 34%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
San Jose State University
- Degrees each year
- 1,657
- Admit rate
- 80%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
- Degrees each year
- 1,523
- Admit rate
- 74%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
Liberty University
- Degrees each year
- 1,519
- Admit rate
- 99%
- Annual cost after aid
- $27,000
University of Maryland Global Campus
- Degrees each year
- 1,435
- Admit rate
- Not reported
- Annual cost after aid
- —
Compare every college offering business administration, management and operations