Main Responsibilities and Required Skills for Procurement Manager

manager working on a laptop

A Procurement Manager is responsible for developing procurement strategies and overseeing the purchasing of goods and services for an organization. This can include identifying potential suppliers, negotiating contracts, and ensuring that the organization gets the best possible prices for the goods and services. In this blog post we describe the primary responsibilities and the most in-demand hard and soft skills for Procurement Managers.

Get market insights and compare skills for other jobs here.

Main Responsibilities of Procurement Manager

The following list describes the typical responsibilities of a Procurement Manager:

Achieve

Achieve the strategic growth initiatives set every year.

Address

Address operational issues.

Analyze

Analyze spend data to find negotiation opportunities.

Approve

Approve invoice for live goods.

Assess

Assess, manage and mitigate risks.

Assign

  • Assign, co-ordinate and review projects and programs.

  • Assign ZNP requisitions to buyers by commodity as necessary.

Assist in

  • Assist in the develop of PFEP, inventory management systems and plans appropriate for material.

  • Assist in the scope review, budgeting and justification of MEP change work order.

  • Assist other departments or perform other tasks as needed.

Audit

Audit vendors based on pre-determined criteria.

Based

Based on equal qualifications, preference will be given to bilingual candidates.

Build

  • Build and maintain good relationships with new and existing suppliers.

  • Build and Manage a dynamic Purchasing and Stock Control Team.

Carry out

Carry out regular stock taking activities in a timely manner in line with agreed procedures.

Challenge

Challenge self, suppliers & plant colleagues and persevere to successful conclusion.

Close

Close cooperation with local stakeholders and headquarters.

Coach

Coach, mentor and develop employees in the group.

Collaborate with

Collaborate with external partners to conduct sourcing event.

Collate

Collate final contractor bid data into project proposal template for client review.

Communicate

  • Communicate forecasts and replenishment plans to supplier.

  • Communicate price changes and / or discrepancies and determine financial impact.

Complete

Complete contract management responsibilities.

Comply

Comply with and follow all procedures within the company Security, EHS and Global Trade policies.

Conduct

  • Conduct regular market analyses and present findings to management.

  • Conduct RFXs / Auctions, analyze responses, and make recommendations.

  • Conduct subcontractor evaluations at project completion, in conjunction with Operations.

Contribute to

Contribute to and drive continual innovation and process improvement.

Control

Control procurement spend and build a culture of long-term saving on procurement costs.

Convey

  • Convey findings along with recommendations to the business.

  • Convey procurement data to management.

Coordinate

Coordinate the introduction of new and modified products and services with appropriate departments.

Create

  • Create cost templates and populate them with cost of materials to aid estimating department.

  • Create standard purchasing policies and procedures ensuring fair and ethical vendor relations.

Define

  • Define and implement mechanisms to ensure alignment / engagement.

  • Define negotiation strategies based upon Total Delivered Cost and lead execution.

Design

Design sourcing plans and deliver those strategies directly or indirectly as business requires.

Determine

Determine quantity and timing of deliveries.

Develop

  • Develop and execute procurement strategies to meet client and operational objectives.

  • Develop and implement the annual management plan.

  • Develop and implement ways to measure suppliers to drive continuous performance improvement.

  • Develop bids and proposals; and reconcile any invoice discrepancies.

  • Develop Drop Ship procurement strategies with selected vendors.

  • Develop innovative commercial models and negotiate procurement agreements.

  • Develop and manages key supplier relationships.

  • Develop the procurement benchmark, and establish procurement strategy for different categories.

Discover

Discover profitable suppliers and initiate business and organisation partnerships.

Draft

Draft and execute contracts.

Drive

  • Drive compliance with preferred suppliers and policies and procedures.

  • Drive continuous improvement and innovation within area of responsibility.

  • Drive cross team collaboration and value creation focus, providing procurement leadership.

  • Drive First Intent strategy compliance.

Enable

Enable actions to help business to manage their A&P spend in the most effective and competent manner.

Ensure

  • Ensure compliance along the process including within our relations with suppliers.

  • Ensure compliance to policies, ethics and goals in the engagement of vendors.

  • Ensure compliance with all applicable regulations, policies and procedures.

  • Ensure contracting & application of negotiated conditions.

  • Ensure proper SOW execution to avoid future scope creep.

  • Ensure resolution of invoicing discrepancies with suppliers and accounting.

  • Ensure team operates per AS9100 certification.

  • Ensure team's compliance to ITC.

  • Ensure that Procurement Planning Team is utilizing Allegion Standard Work and the Material Playbook.

  • Ensure the implementation and tracking of performance indicators and achieved results.

Establish

  • Establish and maintain measurable performance metrics for all levels of procurement activities.

  • Establish performance goals and KPI's to measure success and provide for continuous improvement.

Execute

  • Execute global category strategies and local implementation programs.

  • Execute the logistics procurement procedure.

Expect

Expect unfavorable events through analysis of data and prepare control strategies.

Explain

Explain procurement and cost reduction strategies.

Focus on

Focus on establishing and documenting management policies and procedures.

Follow-up

Follow-up and close queries, clarifications, and other actions from client meetings with contractors.

Foresee

Foresee alterations in the comparative negotiating ability of suppliers and clients.

Foster

Foster and enhance subcontractor relationships.

Handle

Handle details of a highly confidential and critical nature.

Help

  • Help coordinate and establish the required legal documentation.

Identify

  • Identify and document all cost reduction and profit plan improvements.

  • Identify and deliver procurement savings.

  • Identify and implement key supplier metrics to monitor and measure supplier performance.

  • Identify and implement procurement strategies to maintain efficient processes and systems.

  • Identify and manage significant risks in the supply chain.

  • Identify appropriate suppliers and initiate partnerships.

  • Identify areas of improvement to continually drive performance and business results.

  • Identify contractors for specific project bids & agree bid list with client / JLL PMs.

  • Identify Contract Savings opportunities, quantify savings and communicate to senior leadership.

  • Identify internal stakeholders to determine technical specifications and alternative solutions.

  • Identify local saving opportunities.

  • Identify, manage and mitigate sourcing risks.

  • Identify total cost and cash flow opportunities with suppliers.

Implement

  • Implement collaborative optimization strategy.

  • Implement strategic sourcing methodology and processes.

Influence

  • Influence without authority to motivate and manage a cross-functional team in multiple geographies.

  • Influence the businesses through strong stakeholder and relationship management.

Interface

Interface with all levels of Management and attends meetings as needed.

Investigate

  • Investigate and deploy automated transaction solutions to reduce manual workload in Ops.

  • Investigate supply demand ratio to determine shortages and overages.

Keep

  • Keep contract files and use them as reference for the future.

  • Keep track of changing industry trends.

Lead

  • Lead and develop a small team of Buyers.

  • Lead competitive bid and contract negotiations.

  • Lead procurement activities to support future business expansion.

  • Lead supplier identification, negotiations and own supplier relationships.

  • Lead supplier performance review.

Liaise with

  • Liaise with 3rd party warehouse regarding receiving in of deliveries.

  • Liaise with Key Account Managers to determine product needs.

  • Liaise with our Finance team to ensure alignment with our purchase order system.

Maintain

  • Maintain and utilizes database of cGMP / ISO qualified and approved vendors.

  • Maintain internal company tracking using industry specific software.

  • Maintain material plan at the time fence to ensure continuity of supply.

  • Maintain pipeline and financial records for reporting and tracking productivity.

  • Maintain professional relationships with all key suppliers.

  • Maintain relationships with suppliers while continually scouting for additional vendors.

Make

Make recommendations where applicable.

Manage

  • Manage and lead the logistics negotiation projects.

  • Manage commercial and contractual relationships with contractors, problem resolution.

  • Manage local procurement specialists executing the global and local plans.

  • Manage long-term ‘Value Management Relationship' with suppliers.

  • Manage project cost proposal revisions & updates.

  • Manage resolution of supplier issues to ensure business continuity as required.

  • Manage suppliers base reduction and optimization.

  • Manage supply agreements & contracts.

  • Manage supply to strength business relationship with the suppliers.

  • Manage the allocated resources to enable them to ensure a flawless project execution.

  • Manage the end to end procurement process within Smart.

  • Manage vendor relationships, and work with Accounts Payable on reconciliations.

Measure

  • Measure performance through KPI's according to existing templates.

  • Measure vendor performance against contract Service Level Agreements and expectations.

Monitor

Monitor buyer's workload weekly via SAP requisition report and balance workloads as necessary.

Negotiate

  • Negotiate, benchmark, and conduct RFPs to secure competitive pricing.

  • Negotiate contracts with vendors.

  • Negotiate costs with contractors to drive down project Cost of Works.

  • Negotiate with vendors for goods and services ensuring best outcomes to meet business goals.

Offer

Offer extensive knowledge of procurement strategies, tactics and negotiation skills.

Oversee

  • Oversee compilation and deliver the appropriate monthly / quarterly / annual reporting for the team.

  • Oversee the details for product changes and new menu roll outs.

  • Oversee the development and management of the sub contracted services budgets.

  • Oversee the preparation of reports.

Participate in

  • Participate in the management of international vendor relationships, Process purchase orders.

  • Participate to category strategy & roadmap building.

Perform

  • Perform advisory and technical support services to assigned departments.

  • Perform all duties in accordance with prescribed regulatory compliance guidelines.

  • Perform other miscellaneous related duties as assigned.

Plan

  • Plan areas for continuous improvement as required.

  • Plan, develop and implement purchasing policies and procedures.

  • Plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the purchasing activities of the organization.

Present

Present ideas to reduce expenses and improve supply chain effectiveness.

Process

Process purchase orders to acquire goods and services as required.

Produce

  • Produce management information and analytics.

  • Produce Subcontractor Approval Requests (SARs) and submit for further approval.

Provide

Provide regular reports and updates to local, regional and / or global.

Remain abreast of

Remain abreast of industry trends / changes to identify impacts to Campbell Soup.

Research

Research and stay ahead of market and global trends that impact supply, quality, and costs.

Resolve

Resolve vendor pricing, quality and delivery problems.

Review

  • Review current processes for procurement and make recommendations where appropriate.

  • Review current systems and procedures, make recommendations and implement approved changes.

Send

Send project proposal template to client and present / explain cost details to client.

Share

  • Share global strategy with key Asia stakeholders, gain alignment and drive implementation.

  • Share new technology reports / updates from major equipment suppliers with the team, when relevant.

  • Share reports of inventory, orders and shipments with senior stakeholders in the organization.

Source

Source new and novel materials on time for new products launches.

Support

  • Support and help drive all ACE initiatives for process improvements.

  • Support Global Commodity Managers / Spend Managers in supplier management as needed.

  • Support major supplier issues and work with stakeholders to identify and drive resolution.

  • Support Supplier Relationship Management Program.

  • Support transition activity for new business wins.

Track

Track savings with controlling (Cost Out) & promote added value (Value In) for stakeholders.

Travel

Travel as necessary to accomplish the following tasks.

Understand

Understand strategic business requirements short and long term horizon.

Verify

Verify new equipment order to maintain adequate supply level.

Work with

  • Work closely with FP&A team on spending metrics and budgets to maximize cost efficiency.

  • Work cross-functionally with departments on any procurement needs.

  • Work with leadership to drive cost saving initiatives and efficiencies.

Most In-demand Hard Skills

The following list describes the most required technical skills of a Procurement Manager:

  1. Procurement

  2. MS Excel

  3. Business Acumen

  4. Project Management

  5. Finance

  6. Supply Chain Management

  7. Purchasing

  8. SAP

  9. Sourcing

  10. Business Administration

  11. Logistics

  12. MS Powerpoint

  13. MS Word

  14. Management

  15. Marketing

  16. Negotiation

  17. Strategic Sourcing

  18. MS Office

  19. ERP Systems

  20. Procurement Techniques

  21. Data Analytics

  22. Decision-Making and Working With Numbers

  23. Negotiations and Networking

  24. Vendor Management

Most In-demand Soft Skills

The following list describes the most required soft skills of a Procurement Manager:

  1. Written and oral communication skills

  2. Analytical ability

  3. Leadership

  4. Negotiation

  5. Problem-solving attitude

  6. Interpersonal skills

  7. Organizational capacity

  8. Attention to detail

  9. Multi-task

  10. Detail-oriented

  11. Negotiating

  12. Self-motivated

  13. Presentation

  14. Priority management

  15. Flexible

  16. Proactive

  17. Collaborative

  18. Self-starter

  19. Team player

  20. Time-management

Stay on top of the sports job market!

Subscribe to our newsletter