Purchasing Transformation

A recent study of A.T. Kearny revealed that there are currently more than 6000 open management positions in purchasing all over Europe. This clearly underlines the shift of purchasing from an executing function to a top management position with a growing set of responsibilities.  Besides traditional tasks like managing the purchasing, the suppliers and the cost reduction programs additional topics have moved onto the agenda of the CPO organization:

• Supply Risk Management
• Sustainability
• Managing partnerships
• Achieving competitive advantages
• Driving external innovation

But due to the traditional image of purchasing attracting candidates won’t become easier. The new purchasing manager role requires a much more strategic skill set with a high focus on communication and networking. This change definitely makes purchasing more attractive for young professionals. On the other hand the role also becomes more generic and purchasing will compete with other departments for these candidates.

My current perception is that most young professionals with the required skills won’t  consider purchasing as their first choice so I highly recommend to invest in marketing the new purchasing function at universities, in the media and on the job market.

The hunt for talent is on!