Procurement is rapidly becoming one of the most important roles in business, across a variety of industries. The role of a procurement officer or purchasing manager is to optimise their company’s spending, ensuring that they are acquiring goods, services, or sub-contracted work at a competitive price.
With such an important role, it is always beneficial to have the educational support of a diploma behind you when it comes time to work in supply chain management.
As a purchasing officer, your role is to ensure that all purchases made by your company are at the best possible value, while still receiving the highest quality product. You are responsible for analysing data that will help you to make an informed decision about purchases. You are also responsible for ensuring the decisions you make based on this data do not create shortages or surpluses for your company.
Average salary: $59,000–$75,000 per year.
As a purchasing manager, you are responsible for overseeing all aspects of the purchasing process for your company. Your role is to oversee all development, cost-saving, strategy implementation and production. Your ability to be successful in this position will rest on your ability to maintain strong working partnerships with your suppliers and stakeholders, review proposals and contracts, and have an informed opinion about the most effective strategies.
Average salary: $71,000–$99,000 per year.
The role of a buyer is a more hands-on job than the previous two roles. Tasks for this position include selecting adequate merchandise, negotiating appropriate sales and prices, overseeing deliveries, and ensuring products are of the highest quality. Another important role of this position is to ensure that the supply chain processes are running smoothly and efficiently.
Average salary: $75,000–$110,000 per year.
As a procurement manager, you are the primary contact for all suppliers, internal employees, and stakeholders. It’s your responsibility to identify potential suppliers and evaluate the benefits of using them, monitor the performance of suppliers, and guarantee that the supply process is both profitable and well-organised.
Average salary: $110,000–$155,000 per year.
Do you want to learn more about supply management and logistics skills employers demand, emerging job roles and salaries, and recent industry insights?
Discover your career in supply chain management.
SUPPLY CHAIN CAREER PAGE
When it comes to what industry you would realistically be working in, the options are varied. Many industries have a procurement role with the most popular industries being:
The beauty of the business (procurement) diploma is that it sets you up to work in a variety of industries and roles. The skills that you learn are easily transferable across fields and positions. What this means for you in your day-to-day working environment is that no two days will ever be the same.
Your day might start with you analysing strategies for your business, then estimating and budgeting for present or future jobs or evaluating the procurement and inventory costs of a project. In the afternoon, you might find yourself creating new procedures and plans that will help to optimise processes or negotiate contracts and policies with suppliers and other relevant parties.
You’ll always be looking to create positive relationships with your suppliers and other business contacts and working to identify any inefficiencies in your processes and create solutions to rectify them going forward. Your job will be to keep a close eye on everything and ensure it runs smoothly and productively.
In Australia, the need for more procurement specialists is growing each year. It is estimated that over 22,000 jobs will be added to the existing 40,000+ jobs in the next five years. Although the demand does vary from state to state in Australia, there is a direct need for procurement and supply chain professionals.
The percentages of all current procurement jobs when looking at occupations state-wide show that the job outcomes in Australia are realistic and plentiful:
Outcomes from the Diploma of Business (Procurement) (BSB50120) provide a solid foundation for an employee in the workforce. The value of this lies in the abilities that it leaves graduates with, giving them the foundation needed to have a long and successful career. By choosing to study the diploma online, you are allowing yourself to gain a wealth of knowledge and skills that will aid you in finding a fulfilling job. Every benefit you receive from the diploma will be evident in your everyday role in the industry and in your ability to be highly successful at the tasks in front of you.
Going into this profession with a recognised qualification, you will feel confident that you have done everything possible to prepare yourself by adding value to your knowledge. You will be able to understand and apply your skills to appropriate procurement situations, no matter what your role is.
