“What I like most about working with operative procurement in a large manufacturing company, is that no two days are the same,” says Trude. “There are constantly new challenges and tasks, and I enjoy the variety,” she says.
A regular day can consist of everything from placing orders, ensuring that the orders are delivered at the right time, price and quality, participating in meetings with suppliers, handling complaints and much more. The documentation requirements in the defence and aerospace industry are strictly regulated, therefore an important part of the job is to obtain end-user declarations and documentation from Norwegian authorities.
The role as an Operational Purchaser requires personal qualities such as accuracy and structure. Also, a bit of patience will come in handy. In a large company with many different divisions and extensive procurement processes, it can sometimes take time to get everything through the system.
“At first, it felt a bit unusual to not keep an eye on and control everything myself, but the advantage of being part of a larger professional environment is that you can focus on the specific area you are responsible for and acquire the necessary expertise,” says Trude.