Skills in demand
Senior Procurement Experts – Employers are looking for Senior Procurement Experts to review, evaluate and make changes to their existing procurement systems and procedures to help reduce costs within their businesses. But employers are still looking for candidates that have industry specific experience, generally in heavy manufacturing, engineering and mining fields.
Procurement Officers – The high demand for Purchasing Officers and Analysts remains consistent; but employers are looking for much more for their money – and they are getting it. They want Purchasing Officers who can offer more than just transitional experience; they want candidates who are able to recommend and implement process improvements and ‘best practice purchasing’ alongside the P2P and day-to-day administrative duties they are also responsible for.
Procurement Analysts – Candidates who can present logical conclusions and recommendations on supplier data, spend trends, risk and opportunity, will secure the job over a candidate who is traditionally used to only pulling the data together for somebody else to present these findings. We are advising candidates to ensure their Excel skills are absolutely up to date and as advanced as possible. These are more likely to be tested at interview.
Contract Managers – Candidates with a specialist commodity/services focus are in demand (Fleet, Construction, Marketing, IT, Infrastructure) as opposed to generalists. On an interim basis employers are getting a lot of value for their money by hiring an absolute specialist, even if the role is only a 'BAU' temporary cover position, as candidates are truly able to 'hit the ground running'.
Commercial Managers – Commercial Managers have increased in demand particularly within Construction and IT industry. We have seen employers looking to replace Contract Managers with Commercial Managers, as they need more advanced skills outside of contract administrator experience. A Commercial Manager may not need to rely on the assistance of Legal as much, and clients see this as a cost saving benefit to the company - even though they may need to increase the salary on the position.
GM, Head of or CPO – There has been increased scrutiny over qualifications. Candidates without an MBA, MCIPS or degree struggle to make the shortlist despite great practical experience as the competition at this level remains fierce. We advise investment in this area from individuals now more than ever.
Category Managers – More companies and procurement departments are following the model of having category specialists rather than generalists.
Procurement Analysts – Larger organisations appear to be wanting candidates with the procurement background but also with the ability to analyse spend.
Contracts Specialists – More businesses are focusing on getting more out of their contracts and existing suppliers.
Category Manager – These candidates are in demand as focus shifts to getting more visibility across the large spend categories of their business and identifying areas where they can make further reductions.