Currently there is what we call mass consumption in different areas or products with high demands, and as we know the objective of every company is to sell, and produce, which is why companies, businesses, brands, and others require a professional person to be in charge. to maintain their warehouses with a sustainable inventory, a person in charge of managing purchases, that is why today we bring you this article on the functions of the purchasing manager, where we will explain what you need to know about the profession of sales and purchasing management. a company, the functions, and skills that they must have to do a good job.
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What is a purchasing manager?
It is a professional who is responsible for coordinating and leading the purchasing area of an institute, warehouse, company or organization, with the purpose of complying with the guarantee that all the processes carried out are correct in terms of company guidelines and regulatory regulations imposed, both for the import and export of merchandise. It is there where all the functions of the purchasing manager can be seen. We can say that a large part of the responsibility falls on his shoulders, since depending on the development and execution of his functions, this can make the difference between the success and failure of a company.
Importance of a comparison manager
We must keep in mind that a purchasing manager is not only in charge of buying, he must have a broad profile in his work department that allows him to keep the economy of the company he works for afloat and in balance, in addition this You must show that you are capable of exercising much more than managerial skills, you must have analytical and intrapersonal skills, and you must also be able to carry out personnel administration in your area.
However, of the main functions of the purchasing manager we will say that it is and will be knowing how to develop strategies and plans for supplying inputs for the company.
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Characteristics and skills that a purchasing manager should have
Every professional in this area must have similar skills and characteristics, however, these may change depending on the area the company handles, for example; machinery, furniture, footwear, groceries, among others. Although we can describe at a general level that these should be the characteristics, competencies and some functions of the purchasing manager.
Characteristics and competencies:
- Leadership: this professional must be a born leader, since his occupation demands it since there will be personnel under his administration, and depending on the level of the company, he must have the ability to delegate functions, follow up on processes, organize activities and others.
- Skills with numbers: many times, the purchasing manager or assistant manager has professions such as a graduate in administration, analysts and others, since they are required to make budgets that are basic and that are under their charge, they must have knowledge of purchasing processes. billing and more, so we can say that having knowledge of processes must be essential, not only as a professional competence, but it will be part of the functions of the purchasing manager.
- Language proficiency, English: many times, companies tend to be so large that they are based on imports and exports, so it is necessary to have a professional who at least speaks or masters English.
Other characteristics and competencies are:
- Work as a team: as we have said before, there will always be personnel under your charge, with whom you must work day after day, but you must also know how to work with other work teams in the company, since being in charge of the warehouses, you must ensure that other workers have the necessary inputs to work more effectively.
- Negotiation skills: taking into account that your work is directly linked to suppliers, you must develop unique skills to always obtain the greatest profits and benefits for the company.
- Have mastery of specialized programs: many companies manage different specialized programs for inventory processes, process monitoring, and accounting book management, which is why experience in this is required.
As we can see, company Purchasing Managers must develop very good skills and characteristics to carry out excellent work that meets the company’s objectives.
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What are the functions of the purchasing manager in a company?
The functions of the purchasing manager or purchasing manager will vary depending on the type of company, its needs and market options, however, here we can define the main functions they must perform.
Purchasing Manager Functions:
- Carry out the planning and purchasing structures of the department: the head or purchasing manager is the highest authority in his department, which is why he has the responsibility of managing and planning the operation of this area based on the existing budget, in addition to assigning the activities to be carried out by each of the members of your team.
- You must look for and have suppliers that are efficient: it is not easy to look for suppliers, and nothing less difficult is the fact that they are reliable with what they offer us, so one of the main functions of the purchasing manager is to search for the best suppliers, and we should not only look at the costs, but also at the flexibility, reliability, quality, efficiency and the conditions to follow with it. Not only must he find them and that’s it, he must continue searching for more suppliers that benefit the company, perhaps better and more up-to-date with the market.
- Be attentive to the different developments in the market: it is about being dynamic, having the best and continuing to search for more options, the professionals in charge of purchasing from the different businesses must move within the novelty, the current moment, quote new products, stay up to date with the news about the sector you manage, so you must have constantly updated information.
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Other functions of the purchasing manager are:
- Control the quality of the products: controlling the quality of the products supplied should perhaps be one of its most important functions, verifying that everything is in perfect condition, if not, contact your supplier to make the claim.
- Agree on conditions and product negotiations: agree on the most favorable conditions with suppliers, since it is not enough to have excellent suppliers, negotiations with them must also be clarified where both parties obtain benefits.
- Manage stock needs: it is essential to maintain an adequate inventory and supply so that it does not turn out to be an odyssey in ordering a product every time it is needed; it is important to keep those products of greatest importance in stock. You should not exceed them either.
- Manage purchasing documents: buying is not just going to the market or with your supplier and having everything at hand, this entails the responsibility of managing a series of documents that must be kept in order at all times and even more so when inventories arrive. , invoices, certificates and many more.
These are the functions of the purchasing manager, which we can call the most important and transcendent in their management.
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We invite you to join VERN and IBAS
We hope that this article on the functions of the purchasing manager has been very helpful to you. If you are interested in learning more about this topic, we invite you to Contact VERN and IBAS which specialize in business administration studies where you can be part of our master’s and DBA.
Contact with IBAS: +201000498154