Also called: Procurement Manager, Buying Director
Leads the team that buys the products and materials a company needs.
You negotiate a huge contract with an overseas supplier, handle a shipping delay, and look for backup suppliers in case of tariffs.
BLS purchasing managers median roughly $140k.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 8 years after high school. Bachelor's in business or supply chain plus experience.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Supply Chain Management, Business Administration.
Growing slowly. BLS projects slow growth.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI handles routine reorders and supplier comparisons; negotiating big contracts and handling supply shocks stays human.
Classes: AP Microeconomics, Business elective, Spreadsheets or computer applications, Spanish or another world language.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-3061.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.