- The core task: develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures. It heads the task list in the next section.
- Typical entry education: bachelor's degree. 53% of survey respondents say a new hire needs a bachelor’s degree.
- Related work experience at entry: 5 years or more. On-the-job training: none.
- One certification applies: CPSM. CPSM is from Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
- Median pay: $148,080. The 10th to 90th percentiles run $92,490 to $223,280.
- Projected change through 2035: 4%. Annual openings: about 6,400.
Purchasing managers run the buying side of an organization. They write the purchasing and contract policies everyone else follows, find and vet the vendors who can supply materials and equipment on acceptable terms, and prepare the larger bid awards that need sign-off above them.
They also manage people. The buyers and purchasing agents who place day-to-day orders usually report to a purchasing manager, who reviews their contracts and claims against company policy. Job titles vary a lot: procurement manager, materials manager, category manager and strategic sourcing director are all counted here.
The tasks O*NET rates most important for purchasing managers:
- Develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures.
- Locate vendors of materials, equipment or supplies, and interview them to determine product availability and terms of sales.
- Prepare bid awards requiring board approval.
- Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in buying, selling, and distributing materials, equipment, machinery, and supplies.
- Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy.
- Review, evaluate, and approve specifications for issuing and awarding bids.
Job titles in the same O*NET occupation: Category Purchasing Manager, Commodity Manager, Materials Director, Materials Manager, Procurement Director, Procurement Manager, Purchasing Director, Purchasing Manager, Purchasing Supervisor and Strategic Sourcing Director. Source: O*NET
OnLine, 11-3061.00, read 2026-09-23.
Purchasing managers run the buying function. The Handbook describes them as the people who plan and coordinate the work of buyers and purchasing agents, hire and train new staff, and handle the more complex procurement themselves.
The job carries the policy too. Purchasing managers develop the procurement policies and procedures that keep the people who buy within ethical standards and clear of conflicts of interest. Around that sits the shared work of the whole function: evaluating suppliers on price, quality and delivery speed, analyzing price proposals and financial reports, negotiating contracts, and monitoring whether vendors meet the terms.
Travel is occasional, to visit suppliers or review products; the Handbook puts most of the work in an office.
Main Responsibilities
- Plan and coordinate the work of buyers and purchasing agents, and hire and train them
- Write procurement policies that keep buying ethical and free of conflicts of interest
- Handle the most complex procurement and the largest contracts
- Evaluate suppliers on price, quality and speed of delivery
- Negotiate contracts and monitor supplier compliance with their terms
- Meet with staff and vendors over defective goods and decide corrective action
Who They Work With
The buyers and purchasing agents they manage, the suppliers they negotiate with, and the managers elsewhere who depend on what procurement delivers. The Handbook notes plant managers coordinate with procurement on the supplies production needs.
Where And When They Work
Mostly office work, with travel to suppliers now and then. Most work full time and some more than forty hours.
The biggest employers of purchasing managers, by the Handbook's count:
manufacturing (23%), management of companies and enterprises (18%), government, excluding state and local education and hospitals (12%), wholesale trade (11%) and professional, scientific, and technical services (8%).
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Purchasing Managers, What They Do and Work Environment. Employer shares are of the occupation's jobs in 2025, from Employment Projections data, and include the self-employed. Read 2026-09-23.
The median for purchasing managers is $148,080 a year. The middle half
earns $115,550 to $182,270, and the full range runs from $92,490 at the 10th percentile to $223,280 at the 90th, across
84,320 jobs. The purchasing manager salary page breaks that down by state, metro area,
industry and employer type.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, national. Read 2026-09-23.
The usual route is up from buyer or purchasing agent. A bachelor’s degree is the most common requirement O*NET’s respondents named, and an MBA or a master’s with a supply chain focus is a common step toward director-level procurement roles.
What BLS Says Entry Takes
Typical entry requirements for Purchasing Managers, BLS Employment Projections | Typical entry education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|
| Related work experience | 5 years or more |
|---|
| On-the-job training | None |
|---|
A bachelor’s degree for most positions, and several years of related work experience. The Handbook’s example is starting as a buyer or purchasing agent and moving into management after gaining procurement experience.
Majors
Business, finance or supply management, according to the Handbook.
Degree Levels That Lead In
What O*NET's respondents in the occupation said a new hire needs:
Education a new hire needs, O*NET 11-3061.00, top three answers | Education Level | Share Of Respondents |
|---|
| Bachelor’s degree | 53% |
|---|
| Post-secondary certificate | 16% |
|---|
| Associate’s degree or other 2-year degree | 11% |
|---|
Sources: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (entry
requirements); O*NET OnLine, 11-3061.00, education section, top three
answers. The O*NET figures are survey responses from workers in the occupation, not a legal requirement.
ISM’s CPSM is the procurement credential. It asks for three to five years of supply management experience, which the years spent as a buyer supply.
Institute for Supply Management (ISM)
CPSM: Certified Professional in Supply Management
Procurement and supply management: sourcing, category management, cost and price management, negotiation, contracts, supplier relationships, risk and compliance.
- Who It Is For
- Supply chain and procurement professionals whose primary job is supply management, procurement or supply chain. ISM counts only that kind of full-time professional experience toward the award.
- Eligibility
- Three years of full-time professional supply management experience with a regionally accredited bachelor’s degree, or five years without a degree. Clerical and support roles do not count toward the experience.
- Exam
- Three exams. They can be taken before the experience requirement is met, and each passing score stays valid for four years from the test date.
- Cost
- ISM puts the average total cost at $1,485 to $4,277 for members and $2,385 to $5,942 for nonmembers.
- Renewal
- Valid for three years, then renewed with proof of continuing education.
Source: ISM, CPSM page, read 2026-09-23.
The CPSM guide: the exam module by module, the full cost and how to keep it.
Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, How to Become One; titles from
O*NET OnLine and the Handbook.
The qualities the Handbook names as important for purchasing managers:
- Analysis. Weighing suppliers on the best combination of price, quality, delivery and service.
- Decision-making. Making timely calls on what to buy and from whom.
- Negotiation and interpersonal skills. Negotiating terms and settling disputes diplomatically.
- Math. Calculating costs and comparing supplier prices.
- Communication. Giving clear information, spoken and written, to staff and suppliers.
O*NET lists the software the occupation uses and flags the technologies employers name most often in their job postings. For
purchasing managers, the ones it marks as in demand are Microsoft Outlook, SAP software, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Excel.
Source: O*NET OnLine, 11-3061.00, Software Skills. "In demand" and "hot" are
O*NET's own flags, based on how often employers name the technology in job postings. Read 2026-09-23.
BLS projects employment of purchasing managers to grow 4% over 2025 to 2035,
from 88,300 to 91,800 jobs. That is about the pace projected for all occupations, 3.5%.
BLS expects about 6,400 openings a year. Of those, 2,100 (33%)
replace people leaving the labor force, 4,000 (63%) replace people
moving to other occupations, and 300 (5%) are new jobs. The
purchasing manager salary page sets out what BLS says is driving demand.
Sources: BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35;
EP Table 1.10. New jobs is total openings minus
separations. Read 2026-09-23.
What Degree Do You Need To Be A Purchasing Manager?
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry education for purchasing managers. In O*NET's survey of the occupation, 53% of respondents said a new hire needs a bachelor’s degree, and 16% said a post-secondary certificate.
How Long Does It Take To Become A Purchasing Manager?
BLS lists 5 years or more of related work experience as typical for entry, on top of a bachelor's degree. It is a job people are promoted into.
How Much Does A Purchasing Manager Make?
The median for purchasing managers is $148,080 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with the 10th to 90th percentile running $92,490 to $223,280.
Is Purchasing Manager A Good Career?
On the federal numbers: a median of $148,080, and BLS projects the occupation to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 6,400 openings a year.
Is A Procurement Manager The Same As A Purchasing Manager?
In BLS data, yes. O*NET lists procurement manager, procurement director and strategic sourcing director among the titles in the purchasing managers occupation.
How Do You Become A Chief Procurement Officer?
The Handbook’s path is buyer or purchasing agent, then assistant purchasing manager, then purchasing manager; with extensive experience, purchasing managers may advance to chief procurement officer.
Is CPSM Worth It For A Purchasing Manager?
CPSM is ISM’s procurement credential and asks for supply management experience that a buyer-to-manager path supplies. The Handbook describes certification in procurement as optional, a way to show competency rather than a requirement.
Pay for purchasing managers by state, metro area and industry.
Programs read from each school’s own page, with tuition where the school states it.
Programs read from each school’s own page, with tuition where the school states it.
13 careers, each tied to the BLS occupation its pay comes from.
