A global purchasing manager is in charge of negotiating, overseeing, and managing global procurement contracts. This usually entails a thorough knowledge of all aspects of business, purchasing, and advertising. Many global purchasing managers also learn a second, and in some cases a third, language in order to communicate more effectively with the people they work with on a daily basis.
The main distinction between a domestic purchasing manager and a global purchasing manager is that the latter must be knowledgeable about cultural business differences. Contracts may not be written in his or her first language, and he must be able to effectively communicate questions and concerns until the contract is exactly what he or she expects.
A global purchasing manager’s responsibilities also include communicating with employees. He or she frequently serves as a point of contact for his or her company’s international vendors. The global purchasing manager not only explains the contract’s fine points, but he or she also discusses the vendor’s business culture to make the operation run more smoothly.
The global purchasing manager is usually expected to travel. Companies with global vendors frequently send their purchasing managers to visit, communicate inventory needs, and settle disputes. The importance of such communication can mean the difference between continuing to do business with vendors and losing access to supplies.
A bachelor’s degree in purchasing or international relations is frequently required of the global purchasing manager. To increase their market value, many purchasing managers pursue a master’s degree. In this field, being able to communicate in more than one language is considered a valuable asset.
A global purchasing manager’s other responsibilities include supervising the purchasing staff. Purchasing agents usually work with a dollar threshold that he or she sets. One company, for example, may require the manager to personally sign off on any purchase exceeding a certain amount. He or she may also instruct employees that certain vendors should only deal with the manager, such as in cases where cultural differences are not well understood by the majority of employees.
Global purchasing managers are expected to keep up with global developments. For instance, if a country where the manager’s company buys supplies is suddenly under siege, the manager must know who to contact in order to keep doing business. In the event that doing business there is no longer possible, the manager is expected to have a backup plan with another company in place so that production is not disrupted.