What Is a Procurement Clerk? - Definition, Job Duties & Skills
Take a look at how to become a procurement clerk. Find out more about what this job is, what duties a procurement clerk has and what skills are required in the role.
Career Information At A Glance
Procurement clerks are responsible for ensuring that all materials and resources needed for a company are ordered in a timely manner. They often use technology to record data, creating and maintaining documents as necessary. You can find more details about this career in the following table.
<table border="1"><tr><td> <b>Degree Required</b> </td><td> High school diploma</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Training Required</b> </td><td> On-the-job training</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Key Skills</b> </td><td> Communication, math, organization</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Job Growth (2020-2030)</b> </td><td> -5%*</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Median Salary (2020)</b> </td><td> $44,740*</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)</i>
</p><h3 id="section---WhatIsAProcurementClerk">What Is A Procurement Clerk?</h3><p>In general, a procurement clerk is a type of financial clerk who is responsible for ordering the supplies within a company. Key parts of this role are ensuring that purchases arrive as scheduled and that goods and supplies are tracked. This job often requires effective communication with suppliers.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatAreTheDutiesOfTheJob">What Are The Duties Of The Job?</h3><p>This job role requires working closely with Excel spreadsheets to keep track of all orders and suppliers. Most departments within an organization will send their purchasing needs to the procurement clerk, who will order the goods and ensure that the company is getting the best price possible for high quality supplies. This job may also include recording and boxing files for storage, depending on the company's needs.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatSkillsAreRequired">What Skills Are Required?</h3><p>Math skills are important for this role, as the procurement clerks will work with company finances when ordering materials and resources. They keep track of outgoings and may need to periodically report these to managers. Along with math, organizational skills are also an important part of the job. With a range of departments often sending their resource needs to the procurement clerk, and with a range of suppliers to deal with, it is important that a procurement clerk maintains a high-level of organization so that all requested goods are made available.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatEnvironmentWillIWorkIn">What Environment Will I Work In?</h3><p>Most procurement clerks work within an office environment. In 2020, the BLS reported that most financial clerks, including procurement clerks, worked full time. A procurement clerk will often work 9-5 on a Monday through Friday schedule; however, this will differ depending on each specific company's requirements.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatIsTheExpectedJobGrowth">What Is The Expected Job Growth?</h3><p>For 2020-2030, the BLS has reported that jobs are expected to decline by 2% for procurement clerks. This is due to new technology that enhances productivity, meaning that the demand for people in a procurement clerk role is slowing. New workers will still need to be hired to replace those who leave the profession or retire, but the convenience of new online tools means that these clerks are not expected to be in demand from 2020-2030. The rate of employment is expected to drop from 63,000 working as procurement clerks in 2020 to just 59,800 in 2030.</p>