I've been in the purchasing field for quite some time now, and most of my week goes toward administrative work/fighting fires rather than improving anything at a strategic level. Curious if this feeling is widespread, or if it's just me.
I work in receiving, material control, and inventory control. I have hit a road block in my career advancement (M26) and am thinking about getting a cipm certification to try and further my career. I am wondering what site/school I should use to get the certification. Any guidance is appreciated.
Basically title, do you guys typically invite vendors for most of your purchases or do the reaching out on your own to most companies?
Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice from people working in procurement/supply chain, especially those who have experience moving internationally.
I’m 24 and recently started working in Oman as a Purchase/Procurement Officer for a company involved in technical and construction projects. I’ve been here for around 2 months now.
My education is an MSc in International Business, and before moving to Oman I also had some work experience in the UK, although this is my first proper role in procurement.
My plan is to stay in Oman for around 2 years, build a solid career in procurement, and then try to move to Europe or another developed country for better long-term career and lifestyle opportunities.
I don't want to spend the next two years just doing routine PO work and then realise I haven't developed enough skills to compete internationally.
So I’d really appreciate advice on what I should focus on.
Currently I'm thinking about developing myself in:
- Project procurement
- Supplier sourcing and vendor management
- RFQ/RFP processes
- Negotiation
- Contract management
- Excel and advanced Excel
- ERP systems such as SAP/Oracle
- Power BI
- Procurement analytics
- Cost-saving and spend analysis
- Maybe CIPS
- Learning German if Germany becomes my target
I also want to start keeping track of actual achievements at work, such as procurement values, savings, supplier performance, delivery improvements, etc., so that after 2 years my CV isn't just a list of responsibilities.
My main question is:
If you were in my position, what would you do during these next 2 years to make yourself employable internationally?
Would you focus more on becoming a procurement specialist, move towards strategic sourcing/category management, or eventually transition into supply chain/project management?
And for people who have moved from the Gulf to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, etc. — what skills, certifications or experience actually helped you get the move?
I'm not expecting an easy route or a guaranteed visa. I just want to use these 2 years properly instead of wasting them.
Any honest advice from experienced procurement/supply-chain professionals would be really appreciated.
Hi guys,
I am currently a Procurement Associate for 1 1/2 years now in the medical device industry, the pay is ok but I want more and been looking into different roles. I just got an interview for a Sourcing Specialist and it seems fun and much better salary. Have anyone transitioned into a sourcing role before and how you like it?
Thanks guys!