Procurement Talent Perspectives

September 20, 20276 min read

The Procurement Career Ladder: Roles, Skills, and How to Progress

A clear map of procurement career paths — from junior buyer to CPO — and what it takes to move up at each stage. Whether you're early in your career or planning your next move, this is the guide we wish existed when we started.

October 20, 20277 min read

Building a Procurement Team from Scratch: A Practical Guide

Standing up a new procurement function is one of the most exciting — and most challenging — mandates in business. Here's the framework we use to help clients design, recruit, and onboard high-performing procurement teams from day one.

November 20, 20275 min read

What Procurement Professionals Actually Want from Their Next Role

We surveyed hundreds of procurement professionals about what drives their career decisions. The results challenge some long-held assumptions about what motivates the best talent — and what it takes to attract and retain them.

December 20, 20275 min read

Interim vs Permanent: Choosing the Right Procurement Engagement Model

When should you hire a permanent procurement professional versus bringing in an interim? The answer depends on more than just timeline. Here's how to think through the decision — and avoid the most common mistakes.

January 20, 20286 min read

From Category Manager to CPO: What the Transition Really Takes

The jump from senior category manager to CPO is one of the biggest in any procurement career. The skills that got you here won't get you there. Here's what the transition actually demands — and how to prepare for it.

February 20, 20286 min read

Why Procurement Talent Is Harder to Find Than Ever

Demand for skilled procurement professionals is at an all-time high — but the talent pool hasn't kept pace. We look at the structural forces driving the procurement talent shortage and what organisations can do to compete for the best people.

The Hidden Cost of a Bad Procurement Hire — and How to Avoid It

A mis-hire at senior procurement level costs far more than the recruitment fee. Lost savings, team disruption, and months of recovery time add up quickly. Here's how to build a hiring process that dramatically reduces the risk.

August 1, 20267 min read

Writing a Procurement Job Description That Attracts the Right Candidates

Most procurement job descriptions read like a wish list written by a committee. They attract the wrong candidates, deter the right ones, and set up the hire for failure before it's even begun. Here's how to write one that actually works.

July 28, 20266 min read

October 16, 20278 min read

Procurement's Diversity Problem — and What High-Performing Teams Are Doing About It

Procurement has a diversity problem that the industry has been slow to acknowledge. The teams that are addressing it aren't doing so for compliance reasons — they're doing it because diverse procurement teams consistently outperform homogeneous ones.

November 16, 20277 min read

Retaining Your Best Procurement People in a Competitive Market

Replacing a high-performing procurement professional costs more than most organisations realise — and the best people are always being approached. Here's what the organisations with the lowest procurement attrition rates do differently.

December 16, 20276 min read

How to Make Yourself Visible for the Procurement Roles That Never Get Advertised

The best procurement roles are rarely advertised. They're filled through networks, referrals, and relationships built long before the vacancy exists. Here's how to position yourself to be considered for opportunities you'll never see on a job board.

The Procurement Interview Questions That Actually Predict Performance

Most procurement interviews test whether a candidate can talk about procurement. The best interviews test whether they can actually do it. Here are the questions that separate genuine capability from polished presentation.

March 20, 20286 min read

Negotiation Skills for Procurement Professionals: Beyond the Basics

Most procurement professionals learn negotiation on the job — picking up habits that work well enough but rarely reach their full potential. Here's what separates good negotiators from exceptional ones, and how to close the gap.

April 20, 20287 min read

The Rise of the Fractional CPO: What It Means for Procurement Talent

A growing number of organisations are turning to fractional Chief Procurement Officers rather than full-time hires. For procurement professionals, it represents a new career model worth understanding — and for organisations, a strategic option worth considering seriously.

May 20, 20286 min read

Onboarding Procurement Hires: The 90-Day Plan That Sets Them Up to Succeed

Most organisations invest heavily in finding the right procurement hire — and then leave them to figure it out on their own. A structured 90-day onboarding plan is one of the highest-return investments in procurement talent. Here's how to build one.

June 20, 20287 min read

Procurement Certifications: Which Ones Actually Matter to Employers

The procurement certification landscape has expanded rapidly. CIPS, CSCP, CPSM, CPP — the alphabet soup can be confusing. Here's an honest assessment of which certifications carry real weight with hiring managers, and which are largely box-ticking.

July 20, 20285 min read

August 20, 20287 min read

Supply Chain Disruption and the Procurement Talent It Demands

The supply chain shocks of recent years have permanently changed what organisations need from their procurement teams. The skills that were optional five years ago are now essential — and the talent market hasn't fully caught up.

Why Generalist Recruiters Keep Getting Procurement Hiring Wrong

Procurement hiring has never been more complex — and the gap between what generalist recruiters deliver and what organisations actually need has never been wider. Here's why the mismatch happens, and what specialist recruitment looks like in practice.

August 5, 20268 min read

September 15, 20267 min read

The Procurement Talent Pipeline Problem Nobody Is Talking About

Most organisations focus on filling today's vacancies. The ones that consistently outperform are building the talent pipeline for roles that don't exist yet. Here's why procurement talent pipelines fail — and what it costs when they do.

October 15, 20266 min read

The Real Cost of a Procurement Vacancy — and Why Organisations Underestimate It

Most finance teams track the cost of a bad hire. Almost none track the cost of a vacancy. In procurement, where every week without the right person in post has a direct impact on spend, the numbers are larger than most organisations realise.

November 15, 20267 min read

Procurement Leadership Succession: Why Most Organisations Are Not Ready

When a CPO or senior procurement leader departs unexpectedly, most organisations discover they have no credible successor. The disruption that follows is predictable — and preventable. Here's what genuine succession readiness looks like.

December 15, 20268 min read

Procurement Workforce Planning: Building the Team Your Strategy Actually Needs

Most procurement teams are built reactively — filling vacancies as they arise rather than designing the team around a clear view of future capability needs. Here's how to shift from reactive hiring to strategic workforce planning.

January 15, 20277 min read

Skills Obsolescence in Procurement: What Your Team Knows That No Longer Matters

The procurement skills that drove performance five years ago are not the same ones that drive it today. Organisations that don't actively manage skills obsolescence are carrying hidden capability debt — and it's compounding.