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Alamo Colleges DistrictCareer Explorer

Purchasing Managers

Part of Business Management & Administration, in the Operations Management pathway.

Job zone 4: considerable preparationO*NET 11-3061.00

What the work is

Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of buyers, purchasing officers, and related workers involved in purchasing materials, products, and services. Includes wholesale or retail trade merchandising managers and procurement managers.

On a typical day

  • Maintain records of goods ordered and received.
  • Locate vendors of materials, equipment or supplies, and interview them to determine product availability and terms of sales.
  • Prepare and process requisitions and purchase orders for supplies and equipment.
  • Control purchasing department budgets.
  • Interview and hire staff, and oversee staff training.
  • Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy.

What it pays

$131,660
Median pay per year, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro
New workers start near $85,360
Experienced workers reach $207,410
  1. $85k10th
  2. $105k25th
  3. $132kMedian
  4. $161k75th
  5. $207k90th
Wage percentiles: 10th $85,360, 25th $105,410, Median $131,660, 75th $160,600, 90th $207,410

About 680 people do this job in the San Antonio area.

Job outlook

Alamo region (Bexar and 12 surrounding counties), Texas Workforce Commission projection 2024 to 2034. U.S. figures from the BLS for comparison.

+15.5%

employment change in the Alamo region, 695 to 803 jobs · U.S. +3%

65

openings a year in the Alamo region, from growth and people leaving · U.S. 6,400

695

employed in the Alamo region in 2024 · U.S. 83,500

Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree · Experience: 5 years or more

Skills this career uses

The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.

  1. Active Listening4.0
  2. Speaking4.0
  3. Management of Personnel Resources4.0
  4. Reading Comprehension4.0
  5. Writing4.0
  6. Monitoring4.0
  7. Social Perceptiveness4.0
  8. Negotiation4.0

Education people in this job have

Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.

  1. High school or less5%
  2. Certificate16%
  3. Some college5%
  4. Associate degree11%
  5. Bachelor's degree53%
  6. Master's degree11%

Job zone 4, considerable preparation: Usually a bachelor's degree, sometimes a strong associate plus experience.

Alamo programs that lead here

No Alamo program is mapped to this career yet. Many careers start from a transfer pre-major or a related program.

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