Purchasing Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of buyers, purchasing officers, and related workers involved in purchasing materials, products, and services.

tasks jobzones knowledge skills abilities work_activities work_context interests work_styles work_values

Tasks

• Arrange for disposal of surplus materials.

• Resolve vendor or contractor grievances, and claims against suppliers.

• Participate in the development of specifications for equipment, products or substitute materials.

• Administer online purchasing systems.

• Prepare reports regarding market conditions and merchandise costs.

• Develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures.

• Prepare bid awards requiring board approval.

• Analyze market and delivery systems to assess present and future material availability.

• Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy.

• Interview and hire staff, and oversee staff training.

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Job Zone

• Name: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

• Experience: A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

• Education: Most of these occupations require a four - year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

• Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

• Examples: Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include accountants, human resource managers, computer programmers, teachers, chemists, and police detectives.

• Svp range: (7.0 to < 8.0)

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Knowledge

Browse Knowledge

• 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.

• 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.

• Mathematics
  Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

• Production and Processing
  Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

• 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.

• English Language
  Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

• Economics and Accounting
  Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

• Computers and Electronics
  Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

• 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.

• 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.

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Skills

Browse Skills

• Active Learning
  Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

• Critical Thinking
  Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

• Coordination
  Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

• Negotiation
  Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

• Management of Material Resources
  Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.

• Reading Comprehension
  Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

• Mathematics
  Using mathematics to solve problems.

• Time Management
  Managing one's own time and the time of others.

• Operations Analysis
  Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.

• Management of Financial Resources
  Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.

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Abilities

Browse Abilities

• Oral Expression
  The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

• Near Vision
  The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

• Speech Recognition
  The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

• Oral Comprehension
  The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

• Deductive Reasoning
  The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

• Written Comprehension
  The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

• Written Expression
  The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

• Problem Sensitivity
  The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

• Number Facility
  The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.

• Inductive Reasoning
  The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

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Work Activities

Browse Work Activities

• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
  Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others
  Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.

• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People
  Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.

• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
  Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

• Performing Administrative Activities
  Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.

• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
  Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.

• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
  Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

• Scheduling Work and Activities
  Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

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Work Context

• Telephone
  How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

• Face-to-Face Discussions
  How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?

• Contact With Others
  How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

• Electronic Mail
  How often do you use electronic mail in this job?

• Frequency of Decision Making
  How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?

• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
  How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?

• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
  How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

• Time Pressure
  How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?

• Work With Work Group or Team
  How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?

• Freedom to Make Decisions
  How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

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Interests

Browse Interests

• Enterprising
  Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

• Conventional
  Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

• Social
  Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

• Artistic
  Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

• Investigative
  Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

• Realistic
  Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

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Work Styles

• Integrity
  Job requires being honest and ethical.

• Dependability
  Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

• Achievement/Effort
  Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

• Stress Tolerance
  Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.

• Attention to Detail
  Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

• Persistence
  Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

• Initiative
  Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

• Leadership
  Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.

• Adaptability/Flexibility
  Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

• Cooperation
  Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

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Work Values

Browse Work Values

• Activity
  Workers on this job are busy all the time.

• Working Conditions
  Workers on this job have good working conditions.

• Company Policies and Practices
  Workers on this job are treated fairly by the company.

• Authority
  Workers on this job give directions and instructions to others.

• Co-workers
  Workers on this job have co-workers who are easy to get along with.

• Responsibility
  Workers on this job make decisions on their own.

• Autonomy
  Workers on this job plan their work with little supervision.

• Working Conditions-Mean Extent
  Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.

• Ability Utilization
  Workers on this job make use of their individual abilities.

• Compensation
  Workers on this job are paid well in comparison with other workers.

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