What does an acquisition specialist do?
An acquisition specialist is in charge of developing strategies to acquire goods and services on behalf of a company. Their responsibilities include coordinating with different departments to gather data, conducting extensive research and analysis to find cost-efficient materials and resources, liaising with external parties such as vendors and suppliers, negotiating contracts, and arranging payment plans. Furthermore, an acquisition specialist may also participate in a company's employment procedures and recruit potential employees in adherence to the company's vision and mission.
Acquisition specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real acquisition specialist resumes:
- Manage SharePoint for deliverables and maintain the CDRL lists and IMS for management.
- Review and update all packaging BOMs at all mills to achieve accurate perpetual inventories.
- Program manager responsible for managing the successful launch of new vehicle products at OEM customer sites.
- Manage multiple customer relationships and sales-cycle using CRM Salesforce.com.
- Support: NAVSEA - PEO EXW PMS3771 for the LCAC program.
- Order and submit NEPA and SHPO reports.
- Identify documentation require for the RFP and complete the PWS, IGCE and QASP drafts.
- Order NEPA reports, work with local SHPO boards to resolve issues that are of concern to obtain their approval.
- Analyze and evaluate acquisition requirements utilizing a thorough understanding of all aspects of the DoD acquisition process.
- Prepare and issue solicitations to vendors via GSA, NAIS, SEWP, or online RFQ's.
- Review and prepare IGCE documents.
- Establish metrics which represent savings of $2MM.
- Obtain state aeronautics and FAA approval, as required.
- Insure that adapt procedures still conform to ISO requirements.
- Obtain legal documents, right-of-way for utilities and construction needs.
Acquisition specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Acquisition Specialists are proficient in Program Management, Market Research, and DOD. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Computer skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Acquisition Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Program Management, 8%
Provided acquisition and program management support to an agency information technology department in solicitation and award of integration and system-engineering contracts.
- Market Research, 7%
Perform market research to gather information about commercial practices and availability of products and services.
- DOD, 7%
Ensured program compliance with DOD Acquisition requirements, performance threshold and objectives, and effectiveness in support of the mission needs.
- Logistics, 5%
Performed analyses of logistics support requirements and resource shortfalls for assigned mission areas and potential mission requirements.
- PowerPoint, 5%
Developed desktop procedures and instructional guides for processing purchase requests and reconciling contracts and purchase cards using Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.
- Acquisition Strategy, 4%
Assist management in acquisition strategy and development for future markets.
"program management," "market research," and "dod" are among the most common skills that acquisition specialists use at work. You can find even more acquisition specialist responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an acquisition specialist to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "financial analysts must evaluate a range of information in finding profitable investments." Acquisition specialists often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "interfaced with program management personnel in the analysis of proposal submissions and participated in negotiations with contractors on task order submissions. "
Computer skills. Many acquisition specialist duties rely on computer skills. "financial analysts must be adept at using software to analyze financial data and trends, create portfolios, and make forecasts.," so an acquisition specialist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways acquisition specialist responsibilities rely on computer skills: "used computer for data entry and related software programs to input various data into database. "
Detail oriented. This is an important skill for acquisition specialists to perform their duties. For an example of how acquisition specialist responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "financial analysts must pay attention when reviewing a possible investment, as even small issues may have large implications for its health." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an acquisition specialist: "drafted detailed budget estimates and schedules supporting integrated master plan, program management plans, and work breakdown structures. ".
Math skills. acquisition specialist responsibilities often require "math skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "financial analysts use mathematics to estimate the value of financial securities." This resume example shows what acquisition specialists do with math skills on a typical day: "generated, wrote and performed analysis of reports, statistics, and information related to the agency-wide acquisition management function. "
Communication skills. Another crucial skill for an acquisition specialist to carry out their responsibilities is "communication skills." A big part of what acquisition specialists relies on this skill, since "financial analysts must be able to clearly explain their recommendations to clients." How this skill relates to acquisition specialist duties can be seen in an example from an acquisition specialist resume snippet: "develop recommendations, executive briefings, and communication messages and materials. "
The three companies that hire the most acquisition specialists are:
- AutoNation137 acquisition specialists jobs
- Deloitte28 acquisition specialists jobs
- ZeroCater14 acquisition specialists jobs
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Acquisition specialist vs. Procurement agent
A procurement agent develops profitable measures to save the client money and ensure the quality of goods supplied. Procurement agents obtain the purchased items through suppliers, monitor them, and expedite the orders. They oversee the activities and performance of the suppliers for compliance. Their duties include the verification of item receipts, resolving shipment-related problems, and authorizing purchase payments through documentation. The necessary skills for this job include being accomplished, decisive, and strong communication skills.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, acquisition specialist responsibilities require skills like "program management," "dod," "powerpoint," and "acquisition strategy." Meanwhile a typical procurement agent has skills in areas such as "supply chain," "supplier performance," "customer service," and "inventory control." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Procurement agents tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $76,921. In contrast, acquisition specialists make the biggest average salary, $97,458, in the finance industry.procurement agents tend to reach similar levels of education than acquisition specialists. In fact, procurement agents are 1.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Acquisition specialist vs. Planner/buyer
The role of buyers/planners is to ensure that office materials and equipment are well-supplied within their organization. They decide and purchase the materials needed for use or resale by their organization. They are responsible for evaluating prospective suppliers based on their cost, product quality, and delivery times. They are also the ones who negotiate contracts specifying the payment terms, price, and delivery schedules. Most employers prefer their buyer to have earned a bachelor's degree with a major in operations management or business management.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that acquisition specialist responsibilities requires skills like "program management," "market research," "dod," and "powerpoint." But a planner/buyer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "supply chain," "customer service," "mrp," and "erp."
Planner/buyers earn a lower average salary than acquisition specialists. But planner/buyers earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $62,806. Additionally, acquisition specialists earn the highest salaries in the finance with average pay of $97,458 annually.planner/buyers earn similar levels of education than acquisition specialists in general. They're 3.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Acquisition specialist vs. Landman
Landmen are referred to as the public-facing side of a gas, mineral, and oil exploration and production team. They are professionals who interact and negotiate directly with landowners for the acquisition of gas and oil drilling leases. Their duties include acquiring subsurface mineral rights from the landowners. They negotiate mineral rights, which include marketing and leasing right from the owner. The skills necessary for the job include management skills, leadership, communication skills, and attention to detail.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from acquisition specialist resumes include skills like "program management," "market research," "dod," and "logistics," whereas a landman is more likely to list skills in "ownership reports," "title searches," "right-of-way," and "title opinions. "
Most landmen achieve a lower degree level compared to acquisition specialists. For example, they're 5.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 7.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Acquisition specialist vs. Senior purchasing agent
Senior Purchasing Agents are experienced employees in the company's purchasing department. They oversee the purchase requisitions of the employees. They validate requests, ensure that the requestors followed company guidelines, check the availability of the items with the chosen supplier, and forward the purchase order to the supplier. Upon fulfillment of the request, Senior Purchasing Agents check the deliveries, ensure that the items are complete and correct, forward the items to the requestor, and process the payment for the supplier. Senior Purchasing agents also prepare reports, spot trends in employee or department purchases, and create recommendations based on observations. They are also expected to form good working relationships with suppliers.
Types of acquisition specialist
Updated January 8, 2025











