By: Mickey North Rizza
Despite warnings from the recent Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), Consumer Confidence and Jobs report, procurement hiring is up. A quick cursory look at the market from Linked-in, The Ladders, ISM, Twitter and a few others (with no duplicates in postings) found procurement opportunities are numerous.
The requirements are across the board – CPO, VP Procurement & Sourcing, Category Managers, Raw Material Buyers, Strategic Sourcing, Procurement IT Specialists, Sourcing Analysts, Sourcing Engineers, Supplier Relationship Managers, Buyers, and Consultants. The good news? There are plenty of jobs available. The bad news? Many of the job postings were months old and reposted because of lack of qualified talent.
Are we in a talent shortage? Of the 109 different job postings reviewed, I found most are asking for strategic talent, focused on the bigger picture of creating value through innovation and collaboration. I found phrases such ‘proven track record’, ‘results-oriented’, ‘total cost models’, ‘strategic initiatives and tactical decision impact to other organization stakeholders’, ‘developing and setting supplier expectations for innovation, sustainability and LEAN supply chains’ and ‘predictive supplier analytics’.
It signals a shift from tactical to strategic talent, and it also means businesses are finally figuring out that Procurement is a strategic contributor and differentiator.