5 New Procurement Roles That Don’t Exist (But Will Soon)

Traditional roles are fading. New procurement roles are emerging, and some may surprise you.

The procurement job market is about to look very different. I mean, I wrote this article about procurement in 2030  just 18 months ago, and it already needs a refresh!

Now, I don’t have a crystal ball. But everything points to these roles being prominent in the next five years. Technology is reshaping how procurement operates. Business expectations are changing. The old ways simply won’t cut it anymore.

Let’s explore five new procurement roles that will define the future. These aren’t speculative fantasies. They’re logical evolutions driven by real business and technological changes we’re seeing.

1. Director of Agentic Operations

The rise of AI agents demands a completely new role. Someone capable needs to manage these digital workers. That’s where the Director of Agentic Operations comes in.

This role manages the end-to-end lifecycle of AI agents across procurement. These agents will be able to handle, for example:

• Contract analysis
• Purchase order processing, supplier communication and follow-up
• Supplier onboarding and compliance monitoring
• Simple term negotiations and supplier performance tracking
• Market intelligence gathering

But, someone must determine when, why, and how humans should be in the loop.

Not every task suits automation. Some decisions require human judgment. Complex negotiations with key suppliers require experience and empathy. Strategic relationships demand the personal touch.

The Director of Agentic Operations decides where to draw these lines. Not only are they deep experts in the latest technological trends. They must also have a strong understanding of procurement, to design workflows that blend human expertise with AI efficiency. They will monitor agent performance and refine processes based on results.

Prompt engineering will also be a core competency in this role. The quality of AI output depends entirely on input quality. Great prompts unlock tremendous value. Poor ones waste time and create problems.

This role requires both technical and business acumen.

Think of it as being the conductor of an orchestra. AI agents are your instruments. You create the harmony that delivers business value.

My prediction is that this role will be the most sought after position in procurement. Every forward-thinking, entrepreneurially minded procurement organization will need this role. And, sadly, only a small percentage of the existing crop of procurement pros have the capabilities to do it.

Want to future-proof yourself in the employment market? Build the skill set to be Director of Agentic Operations.

2. Internal Communications Manager

Procurement needs its own PR professional.

If you think I’ve gone mad, consider this. If we do things right and become more entrepreneurial in how we operate, we will be the fulcrum of the business.

Don’t believe me? Read “Profit from the Source”, written by four BCG partners. The book makes a compelling case for procurement as a profit centre.

But there’s a problem. This represents the biggest gap in our skillset, collectively.

We’re terrible at explaining what we actually do. We love jargon. We often communicate like lawyers instead of marketers. Our procurement policies run to 20 pages that nobody reads.

The Internal Communications Manager fixes this fundamental problem. They build procurement’s brand within the organization. They translate complex procurement concepts into simple business language.

This role creates visual, concise, and informative content. They create procurement policies that people will read and comply with. They celebrate wins publicly across the organisation, using storytelling methods.

Town halls become cross-functional events. Instead of procurement teams sitting through boring PowerPoint presentations from the CPO, departments mingle and collaborate informally. This delivers real, visible value.

Procurement ceases to be known as the department of “no” and “slow”.

This role also advises and consults with the Procurement Business Partner. Together, they ensure consistent messaging and effective stakeholder engagement.

Think about how marketing teams sell products externally. This role does the same thing internally. They position procurement as a strategic partner rather than a blocking function.

Companies typically spend over 50% of their revenue on goods and services from external suppliers. Yet most organisations barely understand what procurement does. An effective comms strategy changes this, and it’s a massive win for the business.

3. Procurement Business Partner

The traditional category-based structure is slowly breaking down. Agile operations demand different approaches. Supply chains span multiple categories. Software requirements span multiple departments.

Siloed thinking no longer works.

Enter the Procurement Business Partner. This role serves as the interface between procurement and key business functions.

Roles could interface with internal functions, such as IT, Finance, or Marketing.

Alternatively, they may sit within specific business units, being the champion of procurement initiatives that can positively impact that part of the business.

These won’t replace Category Manager or Buyer roles: they complement each other. As strategic advisors who understand their stakeholder’s world, they speak their language. They anticipate needs before internal business partners recognize them.

These new procurement roles require exceptional soft skills, beyond just supplier management. Business partnering represents modern procurement success. Technical procurement knowledge will still be the mainstay of the Category Manager. But it matters less for a Procurement Business Partner role than relationship-building capabilities.

Effective Business Partners embed themselves within business units. They attend department meetings, understand strategic objectives, and translate business needs into procurement solutions.

This role eliminates the disconnect between procurement and stakeholders. No more adversarial relationships. No more last-minute involvement when it’s too late to make an impact.

4. Vendor Lifecycle Manager

I see two current procurement roles slowly merging into one more powerful position. Contract Manager and Supplier Relationship Manager are becoming the Vendor Lifecycle Manager.

This role manages the end-to-end vendor experience.

Some organizations separate contracting from relationship management. One team handles legal documents. Another manages ongoing post-contract performance. This creates gaps and inefficiencies.

The Vendor Lifecycle Manager owns the complete journey. They handle everything from initial contract negotiation through ongoing performance optimisation to eventual off-boarding.

This integrated approach makes tremendous sense. The person negotiating contracts understands relationship dynamics. The person managing performance knows contractual obligations. Nothing falls through cracks.

This role orchestrates ecosystems of suppliers, technologies, and internal stakeholders. They monitor supplier health and identify risks early. They work proactively to prevent issues rather than reactively fixing problems.

Technology enables this consolidation. Smart contracts automate compliance monitoring. Performance dashboards provide real-time visibility. AI flags potential issues before they become critical.

The Vendor Lifecycle Manager focuses on strategic relationship development. They identify innovation opportunities with key suppliers. They create win-win partnerships that deliver mutual benefit.

This role requires both contract expertise and relationship-building skills. You must understand legal nuances and performance metrics. You need diplomatic skills to resolve conflicts and build trust.

Companies realise that supplier relationships drive competitive advantage. The Vendor Lifecycle Manager ensures these relationships deliver maximum value throughout their entire lifecycle.

5. Entrepreneur in Residence

Many innovative companies already have this role. They’ve grown too big and cumbersome. They need someone to inject entrepreneurial thinking.

I’d argue that procurement teams needs it too. At least in more traditional companies.

The Entrepreneur in Residence brings startup mentality to established procurement functions. They challenge assumptions, question “we’ve always done it this way” mentality, and identify opportunities others miss.

Traditional procurement focuses on process adherence and risk mitigation. Entrepreneurial procurement focuses on value creation and innovation. These mindsets clash, which is exactly the point.

This role takes calculated risks and learns quickly from failures. They pilot new technologies before wider adoption. They test innovative approaches on small scales.

The Entrepreneur in Residence builds business cases for procurement investments. They measure success in business impact, not just cost savings. They position procurement as a profit centre rather than overhead.

This role requires both creativity and influencing skills. You must sell ideas internally and overcome resistance to change. You need resilience to push through failures and maintain momentum.

Think of this as procurement’s innovation lab. The Entrepreneur in Residence experiments with new models and identifies what works. Successful pilots then scale across the organisation.

This role particularly suits organisations where procurement has become stale. Where processes haven’t changed in years. Where risk aversion and technocracy stifles creativity.

The Entrepreneur in Residence disrupts complacency. They demonstrate what’s possible when procurement thinks differently, inspiring teams to embrace change rather than resist it.

So, where is the beleaguered Category Manager?

There will be many fewer Category Managers in future procurement organizations.

The Vendor Lifecycle Manager has many of the characteristics of today’s Category Manager roles. However, it is focused on the supplier level, rather than thinking in category silos.

Why will we have fewer Cat Mans?

Generalists will win over deep specialists. The prerequisite of years of experience in a specific category is disappearing. Category intelligence tools are destroying this moat.

AI can analyze market trends instantly. It can benchmark pricing across industries. It can identify supply chain risks in real-time. The deep category knowledge that took years to develop becomes less valuable.

Supply chains span multiple categories. Modern procurement demands cross-functional thinking. The rigid category-based structure doesn’t support this reality.

Agile operations and ways of working don’t support traditional category-based procurement structures. Businesses move too fast. Projects span multiple categories. Stakeholders don’t care about internal procurement structures.

Now, this certainly doesn’t mean category expertise becomes worthless. But it’s no longer sufficient on its own. Future procurement professionals will combine category knowledge with broader business understanding and technological fluency.

The Category Managers who survive will look very different. They’ll orchestrate complex ecosystems rather than manage individual categories. They’ll leverage AI for analysis and focus on strategic decision-making.

Most importantly, they won’t be spending half their day on administrative or operational busywork, meaning organizations will need fewer of them…

Conclusion

Change is inevitable. The procurement roles of tomorrow differ fundamentally from today’s positions.

Technology drives much of this transformation. AI handles routine tasks and data analysis. This frees humans for strategic thinking and relationship building.

But technology alone doesn’t explain these shifts. Business expectations are changing too. Companies demand more entrepreneurial thinking. They need better internal communication. They want integrated supplier management.

The question isn’t whether these changes will happen. The question is whether you’ll adapt or get left behind.

Upskilling becomes essential for procurement professionals.

• Learn about AI and automation.
• Develop your soft skills like communication and business partnering.
• Embrace entrepreneurial thinking.

Start today. The future arrives faster than you think. Those who prepare now will thrive. Those who wait will struggle.