I found out a few years ago when I told people that my occupation was “Corporate Purchasing,” they didn’t necessarily interpret that correctly. Some thought I was a “Corporate Raider” type who orchestrated hostile company takeovers and wooed venture capitalists while others pictured more of a Mergers & Acquisitions type negotiating all those X Company is a Subsidiary of Y Corporation, a Z Industries Unit, etc. type of deals.
Although I’m sure those are intriguing pursuits, Corporate Purchasing is a bit simpler (usually). Just think of any item used on your job from office supplies to the desk you sit at to software used to help you read this article, from the electricity consumed to the copy machines to the water coolers. All those items must be brought into your business, managed, and regulated by your business in some way. If you run a small one or two person operation, you probably do it all yourself. However, if you work for a large corporation, a whole department of up to hundreds of people is in charge of getting you the goods and services you need and use every day.
Purchasing departments go by many names and often, when new leadership arrives or a corporate re-structuring takes place, a new name is part of the new image. These are some synonyms: Purchasing, Procurement, Sourcing, and Strategic Sourcing. While some may argue there are subtle differences, they are truly only differentiated by the person using the terms.
Job titles of Purchasing professionals are just as diverse. Their duties vary widely and also depend on corporate structure and tradition within a certain company. Here are some possible job titles that run the gamut of responsibilities. Whenever you see “Purchasing” in a title, either “Sourcing” or “Procurement” could be substituted. Like many jobs, “Senior” can also be placed in front of most of the titles.
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Buying Assistant
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Purchasing Assistant
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Assistant Buyer
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Assistant Purchaser
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Buyer
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Purchasing Officer
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Purchasing Agent
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Purchasing Specialist
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Materials Manager
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Commodity Manager
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Category Manager
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Purchasing Manager
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VP of Purchasing
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CPO – Chief Purchasing Officer
Want to see how your pay rate stacks up against other Purchasing Professionals with similar titles? Check out Purchasing Magazine’s Annual Salary Survey.
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