Hays Procurement
January - March 2012
Hotspots
A range of procurement skills will be in demand this quarter, particularly in New South Wales, from Heads of Procurement to Category Managers and Analysts. This demand is partly fuelled by recent movement at the senior level, which has created transformations and led to new teams being recruited and developed.
Category Managers across both indirect and direct categories are needed in Victoria. Temporary staff at the support or transactional levels are highly sought after.
We'll also see demand, particularly in Adelaide, for strategic staff with experience in the end-to-end process of procurement, including running and evaluating tenders through to contract completion. There is also a need for Category Managers in larger organisations.
Overcoming skills shortages
Outside of Adelaide, employers are prepared to sponsor candidates as there is a shortage across the board for good procurement candidates.
The coming quarter
We anticipate that there will be an increase in both temporary and permanent roles in the coming quarter. We expect sign-off for transformations, which will lead to permanent opportunities. Temporary candidates will be required for project work such as analysis as well as covering roles before permanent approval is gained.
The procurement market in Adelaide was flat in the last quarter of 2011. The activity that was evident was focused at the high end for roles offering $120,000 and above, and at the entry-level for transactional purchasing officer roles. This quarter, vacancy activity is expected to rise from February. Procurement Officers through to strategic sourcing candidates will be sought at the $80,000 to $100,000 level. We also expect to see opportunities at the base purchasing officer level.
Executive recruitment
We anticipate that there will continue to be a number of executive level roles. In recent months a number of leadership positions have been created to address the improvements required in procurement. As talk of volatile markets in Europe continues, employers want robust procurement functions in place for sustainable cost savings.
Employer trends
Most employers are very focused on certain skill sets. But employers who are starting to become flexible in their requirements are still able to successfully recruit quickly. For example, an employer looking for a Category Manager with travel or marketing subject matter expertise could consider sponsoring candidates from overseas or look at strong Category Managers from other disciplines who can learn the subject matter.
Given the shortage of candidates with substantial experience in the tender and contract process, employers are increasing salaries for suitable candidates.
Candidate trends
There has been a decrease in the overall number of quality candidates. This is the result of an increase in demand for procurement candidates, the successful retention efforts of employers and the preference of many candidates to remain in their comfort zone. This shortage is most notable at the $80,000 to $90,000 level.
