The 3 key qualities of a skilled purchasing manager
Summary:
Critical business functions require the most support in order to function effectively and sustainably. That is why a purchasing manager plays a vital role in your business operations.
A skilled purchasing manager:
1. Continuously works to improve the purchasing processes of a business
2. Balances the priorities and objectives of a business
3. Protects procurement systems and the supply chain of a business
Learn more about the characteristics of a purchasing manager who can transform your procurement function by exploring Kronos Group’s blog post.
A business is a living, breathing organism because of the people that are its driving force.
One such person is the purchasing manager—a title that is deceptively simple for the complex and essential duties they perform in any business they are a part of.
Purchasing is a core operation of almost any business. You can think of the output of any business that comes to mind and be confident that a purchasing manager is almost certainly behind it. The problem with being essential is that it’s often taken for granted and not optimised out of fear of changing what’s familiar into what’s, often, better.
When purchasing sits on your shelf, gathering dust, going through the motions without being optimised, your business will experience inefficiencies regardless of how streamlined and productive the rest of your higher value-added operations are.
The success of your purchasing hinges on the success of your purchasing manager. Unfortunately, what often occurs is that the skills of a purchasing manager were formed years before, in times of relative stability.
What does this mean for your business? It’s very likely that your purchasing manager is still standing by processes and operations that may have been cutting-edge some time back, but isn’t familiar with contemporary demands.
The current challenges a purchasing manager may need to overcome includes, but is not limited to—’threats of resource depletion and raw materials scarcity, political turbulence and government intervention in supply markets, intensified competition, and accelerating technological change’.
The demands on your purchasing manager have never been higher, but there are three key qualities every purchasing manager should possess.
1. Continuously work to improve the purchasing processes of a business
Enjoying a successful procurement function requires continuous improvement and optimisation via your purchasing manager.
Staying tuned to new developments in the field of purchasing and leveraging the right digital technologies to enhance your purchasing operations will help your purchasing manager transform your business efficiency in both the short- and long-term.
Leveraging the right solutions at the right time will help your company achieve procurement efficiency and exceptional purchasing processes.
2. Balance the priorities and objectives of a business
Purchasing is just one part of your operations.
Despite each aspect of your operations possessing its individual objectives, these goals need to align with the rest of your objectives in order to drive growth.
This means your purchasing manager needs to be able to balance numerous business objectives (from finance to project management) while sticking to purchasing strategies and best practices.
3. Protect procurement systems and the supply chain of a business
The resilience and success of your procurement systems and supply chain can help your business navigate the complexities of a crisis and accelerate your crisis recovery strategy.
The COVID-19 crisis revealed just how vulnerable our business operations are, leaving many companies and industries at the mercy of the fallouts of the global pandemic.
Your purchasing manager should be able to reinforce your essential systems, namely your procurement systems and supply chains, to ensure that in the midst of a crisis, your company will still receive the supplies it requires to continue its operations.
How can Kronos Group help you get closer to the kind of purchasing manager your business needs?
Here at Kronos Group, we understand the value of a skilled team of professionals.
We’re passionate about ensuring that every single one of our 120+ professionals has the growth and development opportunities they need to expand their horizons and possibilities.
We have built our people development expertise over the years and are proud to offer a range of training opportunities for our clients. We provide best-in-class procurement training through specific or global programmes exploring theories, case studies, role play, and best practices sharing.
We also offer in-company training with tailor-made solutions to help you instate your own Purchasing Excellence Academy to meet your specific procurement training needs.
Contact the procurement experts at Kronos Group today for more information.
