Purchasing Managers
On the Job
Purchasing Managers plan or direct the work of other employees who are involved in buying materials, products, or services for an organization.
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Negotiate sales or lease agreements for products or services.
- Resolve employee or contractor problems.
- Coordinate with external parties to exchange information.
- Implement organizational process or policy changes.
- Implement transportation changes to reduce environmental impact.
- Interview employees, customers, or others to collect information.
- Analyze data to assess operational or project effectiveness.
- Analyze data to inform operational decisions or activities.
- Develop operating strategies, plans, or procedures.
- Develop organizational policies or programs.
Typical Working Conditions
- Using e-mail.
- Working with a group or team.
- Sitting.
- The importance of being accurate or exact.
- Meeting strict deadlines.
- Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
- Freedom to make decisions without supervision.
- Responsibility for outcomes and results.
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.