Please advice (correct job title in English)

[Jackie]

Hi,

I'd like to ask your advice:

I was wondering with my boss yesterday what would be my correct job title in English: Purchasing Manager or Purchase Manager (what is the difference? or are both ok? what is more common? / "more correct"?).

And would you say that "purchasing" is the generic term for all buying related functions within a (corporate) company? Some people here believe it rather is "procurement", others think it is "sourcing". What do you think?

[mrsflibble]

my sister in law was a purchaser, working under a purchasing manager a few years ago. their job was to both source AND procure items for a large medical supply company. hope this helps.

[Jackie]

Yes, thak you very much. I tend to see it exactly same way. Our Purchasing Director on the other hand sees it like that: "for me purchasing links more to operational than sourcing." And the "C.P.O." - the one who is on top of all purchasing / money spending related matters in our corporation (he reports direcltly to the president) - is a Chief Procurement Officier. So, it is rather confusing, isn't it?

Anyway, for my own job title I go with your advice - it's Purchasing Manager. Thanks!

[snapdragon]

Ours have changed their titles from Procurement, Purchasing and Sourcing to 'Aquisition' - silly as they still have to purchase everything

[Jackie]

Oh. I thought that 'Aquisition' means, that you buy the whole company and not just some of their products.

Interesting to see that even in your country there is some kind of 'confusion' about these words (and titles). Maybe these guys who perform those jobs should call themselves whatever they feel comfortable with. ;-)

[Thurston Garden]

Chief Procurement Officier. So, it is rather confusing, isn't it?

I am a bit of a pedant when it comes to the use of the title Officer. Councils and other public bodies excel at awarding this title - is it to give the job some oomph and make it sound rather important, or is it because they cannot think up an alternative noun?

To me, an Officer should only be used in a military organisation/police where the holder of the title has been awarded the Queen's (or other ruler's) Commission.

From Wikipedia:

An officer is a member of an army, navy, air force, marines, or in some cases, another uniformed service who holds a position of responsibility.

Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position. Commissioned officers are typically the only persons in a military environment able to exercise command (according to the most technical definition of the word) over a military unit.

[Jackie]

Hmm.... Obviously "officer" and "corporate officer" (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_officer) are two different shoes.

Corporate officers are e.g. that CPO, but also CFO, CEO, ....:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Procurement_Officer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFO
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CEO

What makes them "officer" obviously is their executive role.

[Thurston Garden]

Sure - it was more aimed at public bodies.....Human Resources Officer.....Waste Officer...Library Officer....

Just one of my bugbears!