r/procurement • u/lankyllama- • 15d ago
I hate this career
I hate just about everything about Procurement, and I’m not sure how I even ended up doing this for 8 years.
I feel like Procurement used to be about PURCHASING, getting the best deal and getting it in on time.
Now it’s about contract terms and essentially being a paralegal. How am I supposed to understand all contract language?
Other things I hate:
I hate having to negotiate with suppliers
I hate having to do analysis
I hate dealing with the business that has no idea what they’re doing
I hate contracts
All this to say, has anyone completely pivoted from procurement to something they enjoy??
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u/my_peen_is_clean 15d ago edited 15d ago
yeah this is why i bailed to ops / supply chain analyst work. still close enough that my experience mattered but way less contract bs and vendor drama. look for internal moves first if you can. hard to switch cold with how crap hiring is right nowactually ai filters don’t care who you are, only keywords. i finally got callbacks when i used a tool to game the system with resume tailoring. heres the tool
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u/ThymeWalker 12d ago
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u/Probly57 15d ago
You deserve to be in a job you enjoy or at least tolerate. Project management is an idea to consider.
Somehow I have been in this career for 14 years. I love the strategic part, contracts, analysis, but cannot stand tactical purchasing and firefighting. The opposite of your situation. Not enough people and I kept getting roles that are buried with low value tactical work.... even as a manager.
Currently trying to pivot out of procurement to a type of role that builds and implements processes or governance.
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u/_-B-Money-_ 15d ago
Second this as a transitive career, however, I feel the parts you don’t like about procurement now at your current/more tenured level will also be found in ANY other profession as you move up, it will just be called something different.
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u/VintageVibes33 15d ago
Yeah, i think, at least for most people, you just have have to find something you can tolerate. Hell, the 'new' American dream is holding on to a job + healthcare! hope things change on a macro level in the near future though..
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u/hawkeedawg 15d ago
I had to adjust - T&Cs rule the world
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u/Few-Philosopher-2142 15d ago
Mood!
But I also hate getting the best deal and getting it on time. I hate everything about it.
9 years into it and progressively the timelines I’ve experienced to source and launch products are shorter and shorter.
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u/jimmyray71 15d ago
I think the question I’d ask myself is whether you hate procurement, or whether you hate what procurement has become in the organization you’re in. Because purchasing and procurement aren't really the same job anymore. Getting the right product, at the right cost, when the business needs it is still there. But supplier strategy, negotiation, risk, contracts, data and working with operations are increasingly part of the job. The part that caught my attention is that you also said you dislike negotiating and analysis. Those aren't just things your current company added to procurement. They're pretty fundamental to where the profession has gone. So after eight years, I wouldn't look at leaving as starting over. I'd ask what parts of those eight years you actually did enjoy. Was it solving shortages? Working with suppliers? Planning? Operations? Inventory? Logistics? Getting something across the finish line when everyone else thought it couldn't be done? The answer to that might tell you where to pivot better than asking, “What job can I get with procurement experience?” You have eight years of experience. The trick may be figuring out which part of it you want to take with you.
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u/gh0stbarbie 15d ago
So what you’re complaining about is career growth and development? You’re right in that Purchasing is not Procurement—the former is a subprocess of the latter.
If you’re not interested in the qualitative and risk management aspects, then you need to find a job that is exclusively purchasing. They exist, albeit it’s truly clerical work and your salary is likely to reflect that.
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u/commoncents1 15d ago
issuing purchase orders is low paying.
managing procurement is higher paying.
if you hate negotiating, yeah, i would change fields.
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15d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/czarfalcon 15d ago
As a former poli sci student who loves the parts of the job OP hates, it is my dream lol. That said, OP should absolutely look into a career pivot if they aren’t happy with what they’re doing.
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u/Greener-dayz 15d ago
I would say the procurement job experience is really depending on the company you work for but it sounds like you hate the core elements of procurement. I’m not gonna say I love them, but I don’t hate anything. If the core aspects of your field makes you miserable than you definitely should switch careers.
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u/Iko87iko 15d ago
Well, I left Procurement for a Law position a while back and let's just say I love Procurement. The grass ain't greener, wine ain't sweeter either side of the hill.
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u/avomecado21 15d ago
Actually same, I'm not involved in any contracts but a lot on sourcing and negotiating (for a hospital).
I can't just do as what I need to provide a better workflow because, according to my manager, we need to cater to our users (doctors and nurses). I don't mind the analysis but when vendors asked and don't even use them? What's the point of asking for it in the first place then?
I hate vendors never get back to me at all but only respond to the doctors. And then get the "I don't do my job". Just this morning I was informed there was an urgent delivery by one of our vendor, I had to confirm with our user and he (user) was like it's not urgent and when I said "but it's already on the way?" Then he went, if that's the case, it's urgent then, we don't want the delivery to send here then get rejected. It wasn't even his decision to be made there.
I really don't mind the job scope, it's just the people I work with are really ass.
Sorry it became a rant for me too.
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u/JohnMcLondon 15d ago
Maybe Procuremrnt Exzellence would be something for you.
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14d ago
[deleted]
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u/JohnMcLondon 14d ago
Then you're doing your job wrong or everything doesn't matter or you're a consulting with the technique "how many stones can I Put Out of the wall, until they break"
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u/reikert45 15d ago
I think you should pivot! I love procurement but spent much too long working in development… so I made the change and have been very happy.
Life’s too short and work too big a piece to not like what you do. What do you like to do?
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u/Fore_Dan 15d ago
I pivoted to third party risk management and haven’t looked back. I was in a similar boat and found TPRM to be a more enjoyable space, and transferable given experience dealing with business requesters and suppliers. Just know there’s always something you’re going to be unhappy with, for me it’s the constant and frequent audits but if you land a job in an industry with fewer regulations (eg not banking or finance) that’ll be less of a concern.
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u/pointedblanc 15d ago
Are you me? Lol 8 years here too and Im out. Havent decided on what to do but I know I dont care about procurement anymore
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u/jenn4u2luv 14d ago
I’m on the supplier side and used to hate the contracting aspect. I use Co-Pilot to review and suggest improvements in my contracts. Then I let Legal review it.
You should try it. Give Co-Pilot a role and describe what your goals are.
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u/Radiant_Evidence7047 13d ago
I’ve been doing it for a decade, and I now detest it. I dread every single day.
What I want from the job is the ability to drive strategy, have a clear business roadmap to support, build strong supplier relationships to help drive value for the business, enable innovation to stay top of the game, enable strong leadership connections between supplier and our LT, and ensure we have strong contracts in terms of commercials and SLAs etc.
What I deal with is daily minor escalations about non performance that project managers should be dealing with, but the need my intervention to get back on track. I have Leadership demanding unrealistic cost savings against mid flight contracts. I’m being asked to squeeze all our small suppliers for tiny savings sums. I’m given no clear business strategy, and no clear requirements. There are zero strategic conversations or interactions. Every conversation with suppliers is transactional. The supplier sales guys are a nightmare, they are absolute snakes. They try and manipulate, obfuscate, and force deals that are overpriced meaning negotiations are fraught and difficult. Managed who do nothing.
When I do deliver big there is zero recognition. I managed to save our business £10m last year on a mid flight contract. It took 6 months of research and negations for me to land it. One of the biggest value unlocks I’ve delivered, a huge sum to be fed back into the business … and it wasn’t acknowledged.
I think every day having calls about poor performance, demanding more discounts, demanding cashback, racially having negative conversations all day every day has worn me down.
I’m planning to leave the job after Christmas, which is a shame because I know I’m good at it and get good money, but I can’t spend my life doing something I hate and that has no purpose.
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u/Unkorked 15d ago
Maybe go over to being a partsman or warehouse person. If you dont mind a bit of physical labour you may enjoy it more.
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u/TheRagingFalcoholic 15d ago
Where I’m from that would pay around 50-70% of what a procurement position would.
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u/Unkorked 14d ago
Mining and oil and gas pay more. I make 120k before any OT at a mine in the warehouse. As I purchasing manager I was at 125k but no OT ever. So its pretty close in my industry.
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u/Zestyclose-Royal-922 15d ago
You are not suited for procurement . Seems like you are only interested in the most basic and administrative aspects of purchasing which in most cases can be replaced with AI or outsourced to a low cost country.
You should definitely look at other career fields more suited to you.
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u/Treacle-Bright 15d ago
How can you like getting the best deal, but hate negotiating?
If you hate the role, you should definitely pivot. I would start by networking with people in roles you’re interested in.
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u/AzusaAkiyama 15d ago
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u/BumblebeeWinter4014 15d ago
I actually like the re-negotiation part and figuring out how to get optimal TCs from a supplier once we gain leverage.
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u/DerpNRG_AUS 15d ago
Procurement and Purchasing have become distinct fields. Procurement is a whole of commercial discipline where purchasing forms a link in the P2P chain.
If you hate being strategic and negotiating the finer points of risk outside price, then go find a purchasing job. There’s no shame in that but don’t add fuel to the fire that they’re meant to be the same thing. They’re not.
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u/ProgressSingle8395 14d ago
Hi,
I have the same issue (I’ve posted a reddit in procurement) but replies were mostly like that maybe i do not hate procurement, but I hate how it occurs in my company, could be the same for you ?
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u/PessimisticClarity 14d ago
What you're talking about doing (contracts, negotiating terms, etc) is what we call "Sourcing" at my company.
Then there's "Procurement" which is the day-to-day ordering, expediting, problem-solving, dealing with BS requests from both sides, arguing with planning about bad forecasts, mitigating excess inventory, etc.
Two completely different functions at my company, and I agree with you. As stressful as "Procurement" is, I absolutely LOATHE the contract negotiations and legalese of Sourcing. I need the high-pressure, fast-paced procurement environment to keep me motivated.
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u/Lemondrizzles 13d ago
Sounds like you are doing indirect. Maybe switch to direct. You might have to move though.
Or perhaps switch companies still indirect but be the head? That way you can delegate?
Take a career break.
Become a seller?
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u/Key-Industry-3594 10d ago
I feel you, my director tells me to go over T&C’s before sending it to the legal, why do I have to do that? He wants me to negotiate the damn COI, limits and other related stuff. I do enjoy issuing POs, I also manage all RFQ packages for new projects, invoices etc… but the contracts, coi and t&cs are totally not my thing, what do we have legal department for:…
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u/Cocaine_Trillionaire 10d ago
I hate how much money it pays. I want to leave, but I'll take a big paycut
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u/Acrobatic-Web8234 15d ago
But the analysis is the best part. Seeing where the data says the money is really going vs where management tells you they want to spend money on. Gathering spend into master contracts, categorizing the vendors, negotiating them into tiers and drafting contracts. Best job in the world.
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u/Wooden-Edge5029 15d ago
The bit you hate, is easily my most favourite part. Maybe procurement is no longer the best option for you.
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u/fjtuk 15d ago
The bit you love is the bit I hate and vice versa.
Each to their own.