If you’re looking for a career in purchasing, you may need to learn different purchasing job titles and their work responsibilities before making your choice. They may look like describing almost the same piece of purchasing work, but they’re different.
Also, you need to ask the employer the description of that specific purchasing job you apply for. After that, you’ll clearly know whether that specific job is suitable for you. Here are the common 7 purchasing job titles and their responsibility.
Table of Contents
1. Sourcing
You may have seen sourcing as the most common title in purchasing. The sourcing job title is a position in charge of finding and evaluating goods and services for a company.
The work responsibility of a sourcing manager may vary depending on the organization, but typically includes activities such as developing and managing new and existing supplier relationships, and researching new products and services. In some cases, the sourcing manager may not be responsible for placing the order.
2. Procurement
In some cases, the responsibility of the procurement job title may only be responsible for ordering goods and services. The procurement manager is responsible for ensuring that the best possible price, quality, and delivery are obtained.
3. Purchasing
Purchasing is a common title like Sourcing. Purchasing is not only finding and evaluating suppliers, but also placing the order. This job title emphasizes its buying activity. The Purchasing job title is responsible for the strategic planning and management of all aspects of purchasing within an organization. They work with suppliers to secure the best possible prices for goods and services, while also ensuring that the quality of products and services meet the organization’s standards.
4. Buyer
You may love the buyer if you’re the seller. Junior buyers focus on documentation, while senior buyers may be involved in price negotiations, contract management, strategic planning, etc. The senior buyer is an important role as he or she is the one who places an order to you, and can decide what percentage of orders you can get among their suppliers.
Furthermore, your company may need to get the approval of the buyer to get the order after the approval of a sourcing manager. That is to say, you may not receive the order if the buyer does not validate you, although you are approved by the sourcing manager.
The buyer works in the procurement department and may have the following responsibilities:
- Find cost-efficient products that will suit the company’s needs and preferences
- Inventory strategy
- Inform the supplier of any changes to product specifications in order to receive an agreement and quotation
- Negotiate the best possible price for the products
- Confirm the accuracy of purchase orders before they are sent to suppliers.
The buyer is responsible for ensuring that their company gets the best possible deals on the products and services they buy. They must be able to work with a variety of suppliers while staying within the company’s predetermined budget and meeting company deadlines.
5. Supply Chain Manager
The supply chain manager may have much more work than the buyer, who also needs to be responsible for distributing the products or services bought, while the buyer doesn’t need to do so.
6. Commodity manager
The commodity manager job title mostly comes from bigger companies and their decision may influence the global price of that commodity.
A Commodity Manager usually stays up-to-date on the latest industry trends and predicts the price of commodities and then makes the decision.
7. Merchandiser
You’ll see the job title of merchandiser is commonly used in the retail industrials, such as gifts and fashion. The merchandiser is responsible for helping to ensure the availability of all relevant retail items that a company sells or distributes. Merchandisers usually work in a distribution center, where they keep track of inventory and re-stock shelves with proper shelving, signage, and other displays.
A merchandiser’s job description might include:
- Make sure shelves are stocked and merchandise is displayed correctly on the sales floor
- Ensure that a store’s signage complies with federal, state, and local laws regarding trademarks
- Restock returns to a company or vendor within a specified time frame
- Check inventory levels in stores so there is enough product for customers
- Maintain records on the quantity and location of inventory.
Final Thought
In general, how the purchasing job titles and descriptions named vary from industry, business size, and culture of the country. Each purchasing job title may have its difference in work responsibilities, but most of them need the skills of negotiation and communication.
Hope you have a good understanding of different purchasing job titles and their descriptions.
