Procurement category managers are people who strive to help their companies to become more successful in the business world by making sure that each category of goods that they offer, such as soaps or canned goods in a supermarket setting, remain profitable. Their goal is to use strategy to provide particular products to certain segments of the market to ensure that they sell effectively. These individuals must be assertive and self-driven to be successful in this competitive field. An individual who wants to become a procurement category manager should earn a four-year degree and gain experience via an internship. He or she then should attend graduate school to expand his or her employment opportunities.
If you seek to become a procurement category manager, you must complete a four-year bachelor’s degree program in business. Your chosen training institution will ask to see your high school diploma or the equivalent certification along with your high school transcript. The admission process also includes filling out the college’s enrollment application as well as submitting your most current standardized test results.
Business-focused classes teach you the skills that you need to be successful in this line of work. You have to study global economic models so that you understand how companies in other parts of the world respond to consumer demands for services and goods. A person who desires to become a procurement category manager has to focus on how to make his or her company more competitive by successfully negotiating global contracts. Courses further cover how you can help a business to improve its supply chain, or its process of transforming raw materials into finished goods for sale. In addition, classes should instruct you on how to manage finances so that your organization can make profitable decisions.
Even if your school does not require that you complete an internship before you earn your four-year degree, you should look for a practical experience opportunity because this prepares you for work in this industry. As you strive to become a procurement category manager, you need to hone your skills with performing market research on entire product categories to learn about customers’ purchasing habits when looking at certain types of goods. Having the chance to build your communication skills and ability to work independently and with a group of people is additionally valuable during your internship.
Many employers prefer job candidates who have earned two-year master’s degrees in this career area as well. To get into a graduate program in business administration, you need to pass a graduate school entrance test as well as fill out the university’s enrollment form and turn in your undergraduate program transcript. Your courses will cover business concepts in detail, paying special attention to finance topics, so that you can make marketing choices that bring in more revenue for a company. In addition, you should be prepared to complete a major research thesis project before you graduate and become a procurement category manager.
