Purchasing Analyst jobs
The procurement operation of any company will play a huge part in its costs, and therefore its profits and stability, so it is not something that can be left to chance. The purchasing analyst will be in charge of gathering data from various sources within a company and using the data to create precise performance charts to be viewed by key decision makers within the company. The quality of forecasting and the ability to spot areas where major savings can be made will be at least partly dependent upon the ability of the purchasing analyst to glean the most appropriate data from what could be a highly complex set of statistics.
The role will involve two very different but equally important lines of communication open: with people and with the digital resources. They should form close relationships with every manager and buyer who has direct contact with the materials or goods that are part of his or her remit in order to get a better feel for the direction the purchasing operation is taking and catch wind of any plans for the future that could affect the business, as well as to find out how any plans that have stemmed from their own analysis are going.
The digital channels will be the conduits to the raw data on which he or she will be basing the analysis, and thus a full understanding of the system(s) being used will be required. All members of the purchasing team and the purchasing analyst should be fully synchronised when it comes to using the computerised systems, and the analyst should be able to access any critical information held in them.
The skills required
Much of what the purchasing analyst does will be carried out at the computer, so he or she should be extremely competent at computing, particularly in extracting data from disparate sources and manipulating them to create meaningful analytical calculations. They should also be able to represent these data in clear ways, be it in figures and tables or graphically, using slide presentations and such like.
The whole range of interpersonal skills will be required to do the job effectively, so purchasing analysts will need to be as good at listening and absorbing information as they are at relaying their calculations and findings to the relevant parts of the company. On their data much of the company’s finances rest, so just as important as the accuracy of the figures will be the ability to clearly communicate them.
Purchasing Analyst Jobs in Dundee
Dundee is an industrious city that has changed its roles many times over the centuries. Its North Sea-facing front made it ideal for whaling, and the industries that surround it, such as boatbuilding, whale oil processing and jute manufacture (it was discovered that jute could be lubricated with whale oil). Those industries are gone now, but after World War II the city was to have something of a boom. The company NCR set up in Dundee, initially making shop cash registers, and later moving on to making banks’ cash machines. The company was also a pioneer of the now-ubiquitous magnetic strips, and also made computers.
The electronics company Morphy Richards was formed and based in Dundee after a merger, and Michelin tyre factory was also established. All this time, industry worked along shipbuilding, but by the 1980s this industry was in terminal decline. Along came Timex, who manufactured Sir Clive Sinclair’s ZX Spectrum in the city; this home computer was a huge success, owing to its colour graphics and reasonable price. However the Timex factory closed in the early 1990s.
The city was also a publishing magnet, and many a child grew up reading DC Thompson’s famous output: Beano, Dandy and the gung-ho Commando comic books. And when they grew up, they played Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto, developed by Dundee’s Rockstar Games. There is also a strong biomedical and biotech industry in the city.
Dundee is such a thriving place that no short article can do it justice. And of course, all this moving of materials and products, and the servicing of its 150,000 population means that Purchasing Analyst positions are regularly required.
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Cast UK’s procurement opportunities
Cast UK were founded by specialists in the fields, and our consultants are all from these backgrounds too, so we have in-depth knowledge of what employers and candidates are looking for. Employers come to us to find candidates because they’re confident that we’ll help them find the most appropriate managers and executives.
If you’re moving house, please see if there are any positions available in the area you’re moving to; and if you’re simply looking for more fulfilment in your working life, there could be an employer looking for the skills you have. Cast UK have jobs all over the UK, so we are well placed to find you work in logistics, procurement or supply chain wherever you are located or plan to locate.
When we have your details, we’ll be able to start matching you with positions as soon as they arise, so do get in touch if you’re looking for a job in procurement.
To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Purchasing Analyst for your business or find you a job as a Purchasing Analyst then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.
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