Purchasing Manager job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 4 of 5

considerable preparation

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$148,080

BLS May 2025

1. Develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures. importance 4.6 of 5
2. Locate vendors of materials, equipment or supplies, and interview them to determine product availability and terms of sales. importance 4.5 of 5
3. Prepare bid awards requiring board approval. importance 4.2 of 5
4. Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in buying, selling, and distributing materials, equipment, machinery, and supplies. importance 4.2 of 5
5. Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy. importance 4.2 of 5
6. Review, evaluate, and approve specifications for issuing and awarding bids. importance 4.2 of 5
7. Administer online purchasing systems. importance 4.1 of 5
8. Prepare and process requisitions and purchase orders for supplies and equipment. importance 4.1 of 5
9. Interview and hire staff, and oversee staff training. importance 4.1 of 5
10. Develop cost reduction strategies and savings plans. importance 4.1 of 5
11. Control purchasing department budgets. importance 4.1 of 5
12. Resolve vendor or contractor grievances and claims against suppliers. importance 4.1 of 5
13. Analyze market and delivery systems to assess present and future material availability. importance 4.0 of 5
14. Participate in the development of specifications for equipment, products, or substitute materials. importance 4.0 of 5
15. Maintain records of goods ordered and received. importance 4.0 of 5
16. Represent companies in negotiating contracts and formulating policies with suppliers. importance 4.0 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Getting Information and Working with Computers.

Knowledge areas: Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Law and Government and Economics and Accounting.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, SAP software, Purchasing software. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists 5 years or more of work experience in a related occupation as typical.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 4 of 5 (considerable preparation). A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

Most O*NET's occupation experts for this occupation (53%) name a bachelor's degree as the education the job requires.

Job title: Purchasing Manager
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Purchasing Manager to plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of buyers, purchasing officers, and related workers involved in purchasing materials, products, and services.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures.
- Locate vendors of materials, equipment or supplies, and interview them to determine product availability and terms of sales.
- Prepare bid awards requiring board approval.
- Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in buying, selling, and distributing materials, equipment, machinery, and supplies.
- Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy.
- Review, evaluate, and approve specifications for issuing and awarding bids.
- Administer online purchasing systems.
- Prepare and process requisitions and purchase orders for supplies and equipment.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists 5 years or more in a related occupation as typical; adjust to this role]
- Strength in management of personnel resources, active listening and speaking
- Working knowledge of Administration and Management and Customer and Personal Service
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $148,080 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $71.19. BLS estimates about 84,320 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of purchasing managers to grow 4.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,400 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full purchasing manager salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real purchasing manager posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Develop and implement purchasing and contract management…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only purchasing manager work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (management of personnel resources and active listening); purchasing manager interview questions turns them into practice questions.