The buyer career

In brief
A buyer manages a portfolio of suppliers for a category of goods or services: they select them and negotiate with them on cost, quality and lead time, through to procurement.
They work mainly in industry and retail, increasingly internationally. You become a buyer at Bac+3 or Bac+5, notably by training at Excelia Business School.

What is a buyer?

According to APEC (Association pour l'emploi des cadres), the buyer is in charge of a portfolio of suppliers dedicated to a category of goods or services. They implement the strategy defined by the purchasing manager, from supplier selection to procurement, with three objectives: cost, quality and lead time.

A buyer who looks after a company's packaging, for example, does not place orders on a rolling basis: they steer this entire area of spending.

What does a buyer do day to day?

A buyer runs a process from end to end, of which placing the order is only one stage. It all starts with the need: they analyse and qualify it with the internal departments, assess the full cost of the purchase, which is not limited to its price, then draw up the specification with them.

Next comes the search. The buyer finds suppliers, launches consultations or invitations to tender, prepares then conducts the negotiation on price, quality, lead time and volume, before drafting the contract with the legal department. Once it is signed, the work continues: monitoring its execution, handling disputes and evaluating each supplier's performance every year.

In which sectors does a buyer work?

The buyer works mainly in industry and retail, notably in buying groups, which buy on behalf of several retail chains. You also find them in trading, the buying and reselling of goods, and in the media. Their portfolios fall into two main families:

• Direct purchasing: purchases that relate directly to production
• Indirect purchasing: everything outside production, such as IT solutions or premises management

The international dimension has become the rule, since the buyer buys without geographical constraint.

At Excelia Business School, purchasing and supply chain are studied together, in the Master of Science (MSc) programmes in the Purchasing and Supply Chain field.

What skills do you need to become a buyer?

The career calls above all for the art of negotiation, supported by a technical foundation:

• Purchasing and argumentation techniques
• Budget management and economic analysis
• Contract law
• The basics of international transport and customs procedures
• Fluent professional English, and often a second language

Diplomacy, tenacity, persuasiveness and rigour count as much as technique, as does ease in a multicultural environment.

Responsible purchasing is added to this. The ISO 20400 standard governs responsible purchasing: it leads the buyer to make trade-offs on the mode of transport, packaging or environmental conditions. The Sapin II law governs their relations with suppliers and their subcontractors out of a concern for fairness and ethics. CSR and sustainable development careers extend this thinking.

What if this career were right for you? The guidance questionnaire for Master of Science (MSc) programmes helps you identify the Bac+5 specialisation that leads to it.

How much does a buyer earn?

A buyer's remuneration depends on the sector, the size of the portfolio, the international dimension of the role and experience. According to APEC, 80% of offers of gross annual remuneration (fixed and variable) for this career fall between €33,000 and €53,000, for an average of €42,000.

This range describes the offers on the market, not the starting salary of Excelia Business School graduates. Three years' experience is generally required, preferably internationally, and the role is possibly open to recent graduates. APEC lists purchasing assistant, procurement officer or logistics specialist among the roles that come before that of buyer: you can also enter it from a neighbouring function.

What path leads to becoming a buyer, and what career progression is there?

According to APEC, you enter the career at Bac+3 or Bac+5. The first level goes through a bachelor's degree or a professional licence in purchasing or international trade; the second, through a master's degree in purchasing and supply chain, or a qualification from an engineering school or business school. An engineering degree is therefore not the only way in.

Excelia Business School opens up both levels through three routes:

• The Bachelor in Business, undergraduate: it leads to a Grade de Licence, the university level of Bac+3, and includes a specialisation devoted to purchasing and supply chain, which notably leads to the role of purchasing and procurement manager
• The Master in Management (Programme Grande École), accessible to secondary school pupils, allows you to specialise in the master's cycle in purchasing and supply chain: purchasing negotiation, legal and contractual aspects of invitations to tender, quality and securing of purchases
• The MSc in Integrated Purchasing and Supply Chain Management, at Bac+5, is a Master of Science leading to a Grade de Master and accredited by EQUIS and AACSB. It trains in process optimisation, risk management and strategic decision-making in purchasing, supply chain and logistics

The career then opens onto several paths of progression. A buyer can become a category manager, thus steering a whole purchasing category, then purchasing manager and purchasing director. They can also move towards logistics or purchasing consulting. If logistics appeals to you, supply chain careers give an overview of them.

Discover the MSc in Purchasing and Supply Chain

Frequently asked questions

What qualification do you need to become a buyer?

APEC distinguishes two entry levels: Bac+3 (bachelor's degree or professional licence in purchasing or international trade) and Bac+5 (master's degree in purchasing and supply chain, business school or engineering school).

Can you become a buyer on graduating?

It depends on the offers: the role is possibly open to recent graduates, but three years' experience is generally required, preferably internationally.

Do you need to speak English to be a buyer?

Yes: fluent professional English is expected, and often a second language, because the buyer most often works internationally.

What is the difference between direct and indirect purchasing?

Direct purchasing is linked to the company's production, indirect purchasing is outside production, for example IT solutions or premises management.

Does the buyer career take CSR issues into account?

Yes: the ISO 20400 standard leads the buyer to make trade-offs on transport or packaging, and the Sapin II law governs their relations with suppliers out of a concern for fairness and ethics.