Hays Procurement - January 2008

Hotspots

Centralised functions - Strategic procurement managers are a hotspot of demand, since their skills are required to centralise the procurement function, allowing huge cost and time savings. The logistics of a multi-site alone can increase costs, whereas a centralised function or warehouse that distributes and feeds the demand of others can make a huge impact on storage freight costs. As a result vacancies are high in business transformation and change management, with specialists employed on a project basis to implement changes.

Demand planning/forecasting analysis - As business becomes much more strategic, building forecasting models to schedule and plan in advance on a much more proactive level, the demand for these skills increases. A great deal of time can be saved if the supply/demand forecast is accurate and the supply chain can run much more efficiently.

Supply chain managers - this is a core focus of any business and value chain management is becoming progressively more recognised. These candidates can find weaknesses within the supply chain and transform these through process or procedures to reduce costs straight off the bottom line, making them a highly valued resource.

The coming quarter

The coming quarter will be very active, with many new vacancies created across all industries as companies realise the benefits the procurement function can bring. Many new procurement teams are being established in greenfield sites, increasing the need for skilled candidates. The need for the alignment of the supply chain with both customers and suppliers mirroring each other is also causing demand for more staff in all industries.

In addition, companies have recognised the need to lift the profile of procurement across the business and this has led to a strong emphasis on the recruitment of talent with the right attitude. This has also increased the demand for staff in an already candidate-short market and more employers are consequently open to recruiting from interstate or overseas to find the right calibre of procurement professionals.

Executive recruitment

Restructures due to the centralisation of core business are resulting in changes to executive roles. There is a lot of candidate movement at the executive level, with heads of supply chain and executive procurement managers within finance and service industries in particular seeking a new role.

Salaries

The market remains candidate short, particularly at the $60,000 to $80,000 level. As a result candidates feel they can demand higher salaries as their skills are in demand. This trend is set to continue over the coming quarter, with many companies raising salaries to compete for and attract the best candidates.