MightyRecruiterProcurement clerks are responsible for purchasing raw materials, products or services that companies use or resell. These buying agents may interview and evaluate suppliers, negotiate purchasing contracts and verify the functionality of each vendor’s supply chain. A procurement clerk may also monitor contracts and create purchasing records to ensure correct quantities and prices.
You may want to focus on work experience or on-the-job training when writing your procurement clerk job description. There are also certain professional certification options for buying agents. In general, it’s important for a procurement clerk to possess strong mathematical and decision-making skills.
A professional procurement agent should display successful negotiating skills and be able to analyze data, such as pricing, quality and delivery, to determine the best supplier. Use the procurement clerk job description template below to see what other information you should include in your own listing.
Procurement Clerk Job Summary
If you are looking for an interesting, hands-on job with numerous opportunities for career development, join our team of procurement specialists. You will have the chance to work with several internal department heads and numerous external vendors to find the most cost-effective and efficient methods for acquiring the raw materials and finished products our company needs. Rather than being confined to an office every day, you’ll have the chance to verify incoming shipments and visit current and potential suppliers’ facilities, as well as attend trade shows several times a year. We count on our procurement clerks to successfully negotiate supply contracts, so we will give you the support and training you need plus a competitive salary and opportunities for advancement.
Job Responsibilities
- Interview potential suppliers prior to contract negotiations, including visiting plants and distribution centers and discussing materials, products and quality standards with vendors
- Evaluate current and new suppliers to determine optimal setup for supply contracts, taking into account costs, delivery times, product quality and available inventory
- Analyze supply contracts, financial reports and other data using accepted optimization models to determine which vendors best meet company needs and project requirements
- Participate in negotiations with vendors, including researching prices, products and other data beforehand and coordinating with suppliers to create optimal purchasing contracts
- Maintain current knowledge of existing vendors, industry trends and relevant pricing by attending trade shows and conferences and reading professional publications
- Oversee fulfillment of supply contracts by verifying quantity and quality of incoming shipments, checking invoices for accuracy, ensuring compliance with contractual regulations and working with vendors as necessary to resolve any discrepancies
- Create and maintain computerized database of supply purchase orders, paid invoices, goods delivered, product and raw material quality, current inventory and future order scheduling
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- Bachelor’s degree in supply management, or high school diploma plus minimum of 3 years of related work experience
- Excellent negotiating abilities
- Strong interpersonal skills and decision-making ability
- Solid understanding of supply chain concepts and supplier analysis methods
Preferred:
- Professional certification, such as CPSM, CPP, CSCP, etc.
Procurement Clerk Job Responsibilities
Finding great people to join your team is a challenge if you don’t get the job description right, and postings that get results often have strong job responsibilities sections that clearly explain a company’s needs. A well-written procurement clerk job description with detailed and accurate job responsibilities can help give you better access to a wider range of talent for your open positions.
Job responsibilities for a procurement clerk job description should represent a sample of the vital tasks required for a successful worker in this role. You should aim to be as specific as possible and indicate who the employee reports to as well as what department the employee is part of. Keep your list concise, providing at least six duties but no more than eight.
Here is a sample of some common procurement clerk job responsibilities:
- Process purchase order forms and submit to the purchasing manager for approval before sending out to the vendor
- Research suppliers for the purchasing department for a variety of goods and services and prepare reports summarizing findings
- Verify invoices, shipments and other records when orders come in to ensure accuracy from the vendor
- Negotiate pricing, shipping, products and terms with vendors when starting a new order with a supplier
Procurement Clerk Job Specifications
In addition to having a strong list of responsibilities for your procurement clerk job description, you’ll also need a realistic overview of the job’s qualifications and skills. This is the part of the job description that describes what your company needs from a candidate in further detail. Some jobs focus only on specific industry attributes for this section of the posting, such as education level, certifications, software knowledge and experience. However, many also include additional soft skills addressing communication abilities, work ethic, attention to detail or positive attitude.
It’s important to visualize the right type of person for the job before thinking of potential qualifications and skills for a procurement clerk job description. You should also think about what a candidate needs to succeed in this role. Then, together with your company’s managers, create a full list of required skills necessary for the job and preferred skills to help you get closer to what your company most wants. If you devote more time to this task, you’ll have a greater chance of getting targeted resumes from people right for the job.
Here are some possible procurement clerk job specifications:
- High school diploma or an equivalency
- Three or more years of experience in a clerical setting or in purchasing
- Excellent negotiating and communication abilities
- Strong skills in mathematics, finance or accounting
