A chief procurement officer (CPO) typically is the executive of a corporation who is responsible for the management, administration, and supervision of the company’s acquisition programs. They may be in charge of the contracting services and may manage the purchase of supplies, equipment, and materials. It often is his responsibility to source goods and services, and to negotiate prices and contracts.

Duties

Working as a procurement officer comes with several duties that are integral to the organization’s success.

Staff Supervision

A procurement officer oversees the activities of the department responsible for purchases. As part of his supervisory role, he has to assign duties to each member of the staff and review the work. He also draws up a plan for the purchase of equipment, services and supplies. Thanks to his knowledge of procurement procedures, he recruits the right people in his department and trains them in line with the procurement policies of the company. Purchasing managers can supervise their staffs effectively when they are adequately versed in the relevant practices, procedures and policies. 

Product Purchases

As a procurement officer, you are also responsible for the purchase of products and services in the organization. You have to approve the best products or services that have low prices after reviewing and analyzing all options. Quality is also an important factor for the purchasing manager to consider when approving a purchase. It is your duty to ensure that the products or services are of high quality, regardless of the price. The procurement policies of the organization are often the guiding principle in the approval of such purchases. 

Data Handling

The task of maintaining accurate records of purchases and pricing falls squarely on the shoulders of a purchasing manager. It entails managing the inventories of the products or services in the organization. The procurement department needs to have all the relevant information concerning the organization’s suppliers. It is the responsibility of the procurement officer to ensure that the department has important details, such as the suppliers’ qualifications, delivery times, potential development and products. 

Communication With Suppliers

A purchasing officer is the link between her company and suppliers. She ought to look for interested suppliers and negotiate the best deal for the company. Part of her duties is to maintain good relations with the suppliers. Procurement officers have to keep their suppliers happy, because this can provide great opportunities for their companies to obtain the best deals from them. Developing good relations with suppliers demands great negotiation skills, which are important when seeking the best deals.

Key skills

Critical thinking:one must exercise urgency in thinking to address any problem that arises within the supply chain.
Forecasting and implementation:ability to anticipate an eventuality and putting in place measures to counteract such an occurrence.
Problem solving:in case the procurement plan fails due to any technical glitch,one must be in position to address such so that its not to the detriment of the organization.
Computer proficiency:this helps in carrying out transactions and e-procurement as it also helps in expediting the procurement process as compared to the manual systems.
Versatility:able to do a lot more than just purchasing like relationship building,being good at speech because they come in handy when negotiating and dealing with suppliers and while managing human capital.
A lot more other abilities are needed and are supplementary to the ones above as one may discover their need as they advance in the procurement arena.