Jobs / Management and business operations / 11-3061.00
Purchasing Managers
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.
- US jobs
- 84,320
- Median wage
- $148,080 a year
- Job family
- Management and business operations
Can agents do the work of purchasing managers?
We read the evidence for the whole job family, Management and business operations: Some tasks (first measured in the last 12 months)
Agents complete 20% or more of the tasks (or projects) on a direct benchmark.
Evidence: SOP-Bench, 72.4% of tasks completed.
12% of this occupation's work, by O*NET work activities, is measured by a direct benchmark.
- 13%Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgetsNot measured
- 11%Manage budgets or financesNot measured
- 6%Implement procedures or processesMeasured
- 6%Supervise personnel activitiesNot measured
- 6%Analyze data to improve operationsNot measured
- 6%Resolve personnel or operational problemsNot measured
- 6%Maintain operational recordsMeasured
- 6%Negotiate contracts or agreementsNot measured
Benchmarks for the job family
These cover work in management and business operations, not always this occupation's tasks.
Direct evidence
Work benchmarks mapped primary to this family. They set the step when they report how many tasks agents complete.
Also relevant
These benchmarks cover part of this family's work, or have no result yet. They do not set its step.
- 45.9%Claude Opus 4.6 · 16 Mar 2026Emerging
- 64.8%Claude Code + Opus 5.5 (max) · 6 Oct 2026Strong
Context only
These benchmarks span many occupations, or they test how agents behave. They give context but do not set the step.
- 42.9%TTE-MatrixAgent + DeepSeek-V3.2 · 10 Nov 2025Emerging
Typical tasks
From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.
- Develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures.
- Locate vendors of materials, equipment or supplies, and interview them to determine product availability and terms of sales.
- Prepare bid awards requiring board approval.
- Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in buying, selling, and distributing materials, equipment, machinery, and supplies.
- Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy.
- Review, evaluate, and approve specifications for issuing and awarding bids.
- Administer online purchasing systems.
- Prepare and process requisitions and purchase orders for supplies and equipment.
- Interview and hire staff, and oversee staff training.
- Develop cost reduction strategies and savings plans.
- Control purchasing department budgets.
- Resolve vendor or contractor grievances and claims against suppliers.
Other job titles for this occupation (25)
Category Purchasing Manager · Commodity Manager · Materials Director · Materials Manager · Procurement Director · Procurement Manager · Purchasing Director · Purchasing Manager · Purchasing Supervisor · Strategic Sourcing Director · Commissary Superintendent · Contract Manager · Contracting Manager · Division Merchandise Manager (DMM) · General Merchandise Manager · Merchandise Director · Merchandise Manager · Merchandising Manager · Procurement Services Manager · Procurement Sourcing Manager · Purchasing Coordinator · Sourcing Manager · Strategic Sourcing Manager · Supply Chain Procurement Manager · Vendor Manager