If you are thinking about becoming a purchasing professional or if it is worth continuing to invest in a career as a buyer, know that the supply management area is one of the fastest growing in the country.
Proof of this is that the purchasing professional is among the most promising careers for 2024, according to a study carried out by the company Robert Half. According to the research, the hottest sectors currently are agribusiness, retail, technology, energy, health and industry (including mining and B2B industry).
You may be wondering: what attracts so many people to the profession of buyer? In addition to the attractive salaries, the area offers new challenges and a variety of sectors to work in.
According to Glassdoor, in 2024, the average salary for a junior buyer is R$5.790,00 per month. A senior purchasing professional can earn up to R$10.100,00 per month. Purchasing managers can earn up to R$33.600 per month and directors around R$48 per month.
Being a purchasing professional is a great choice for recent graduates looking for a busy career with great growth opportunities.
Below, we have gathered the main questions and answers about a career in corporate purchasing.
Keep reading and find out!
Why is the purchasing career growing?
On the companies' side, the main reason for the high demand for purchasing professionals, who truly understand the sector's routine, is that the department is responsible for a large part of the costs of the entire organization, in addition to innovation and issues of ESG.
In this context, the need for savings and increased competitiveness is evident, even more so in times of uncertain scenarios. This is because R$1 saved on purchases means R$1 in profit for the company.
The increased complexity of the supply chain leaders and the difficulty in predicting supply and demand trends are factors that put pressure on companies to seek better-prepared professionals.
This reinforces the fact that the purchasing area, previously seen as support for other departments, has undergone a major upgrade, becoming strategic for companies.
How to enter a purchasing career in 2024?
Despite the growth of the profession in recent years, there is no specific undergraduate course for purchasing management. Professionals in the sector generally have degrees in Administration, Accounting, Economics or Engineering.
The most common positions are: assistant, analyst, manager and purchasing specialist. chief procurement officer (CPO), or in Portuguese, supply director, is the C-Level level.
To improve their CV and gain more opportunities in the job market, purchasing professionals can specialize in procurement, logistics and supply chain courses, in addition to taking training focused on leadership and people management.
In addition, the purchasing professional needs to develop a wide range of technical skills, such as the use of digital tools and techniques. negociação, data analysis and behavioral skills, such as creativity and active listening.
Most of the time, the buyer interacts with people from different sectors and with suppliers. Therefore, the professional must know how to relate and communicate well with everyone.
To become a purchasing manager, you need to know the world of corporate purchasing like no one else, study the market, trends and availability of goods, as well as deal with the responsibility of training and coordinating the purchasing team.
Having a master's degree or MBA in the field increases your chances of advancing to a management position. Some schools offer courses in supply chain 4.0, negotiation and evaluation of suppliers, operations management, management for competitiveness, analytics and data science, among others.
What are the duties of a purchasing professional?
The buyer seeks alternative sources of supply and new business partners. Here, the focus is on achieving savings, greater competitiveness and bringing innovation.
Just as important as selecting the best partners is understanding the evaluation, approval and audit processes. Therefore, it is essential that the buyer has knowledge about the supplier management practices.
Evaluating and monitoring purchasing history, demand, seasonality of goods and the best opportunities for acquisitions are some of the buyer's duties.
Nowadays, purchasing professionals also need to build a base of reliable suppliers, create and improve processes related to purchasing compliance and consider the criteria ESG in their decisions.
Whether to act with direct or indirect purchases, the buyer seeks strategic partnerships in all his relationships, that is, he needs to understand about the art of negotiation.
And when we talk about negotiation, it is not just about the relationship with suppliers. The purchasing professional also evaluates purchase requests, whether they are in line with business objectives, among other criteria.
What are the main challenges for a purchasing professional?
Despite the advantages of a career in purchasing, such as competitive salaries and opportunities within and outside the country, buyers face many challenges to overcome.
To thrive in their career, the main challenge for purchasing professionals is to develop strong analytical skills. Data analysis will become increasingly important in the day-to-day lives of buyers.
If, on the one hand, risks will always be part of your routine, on the other hand, knowing how to manage them using the right tools is a differential for building a solid career.
Paying attention to the conduct of suppliers and their engagement with environmental, social and governance issues is also essential for a buyer. After all, this image will soon be a reflection of the purchasing company.
Therefore, this professional is expected to build strategies for efficient management of all important details for the purchasing area.
It is no wonder that the most outstanding professionals in the sector are those who use all available tools to their advantage to generate savings, operational gains, collaboration with suppliers, innovation and profit.
What are the trends for growth in the profession in 2024?
Gone are the days when purchasing professionals were “order takers.” To stand out today, purchasing professionals need to dedicate a good portion of their time to business strategies.
Organizations are increasingly investing in new technologies to address the challenges of business-to-business commerce. However, there is still some resistance to eliminating countless emails, spreadsheets and printed materials.
Just like Information Technology (IT) professionals, professional buyers need to stay up to date with digital tools such as e-Procurement, to act strategically.
This requires constant interaction with technology, not only to optimize procurement practices, but also to drive business and innovation.
Currently, professionals who consider technology as a great ally in the purchasing area, which use tools to optimize processes and make their decisions more transparent, are among the most sought after on the market.
With automation of purchasing processes, the buyer is freed from manual and decentralized tasks, to dedicate themselves to the most relevant strategies.
Through digital solutions, the purchasing professional has access to reports and KPIs and by tracking and measuring the performance of all department actions, you can make decisions based on data rather than assumptions.
Finally, purchasing is one of the few sectors that give professionals the opportunity to showcase their skills and take control of projects from start to finish.
Because it has to keep up with changes and adapt quickly to the most diverse scenarios, the profession of buyer is one of the most promising today and in the future.
To the next! 😉