What does a technical buyer do?

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.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a technical buyer are more likely to require skills like "purchase orders," "supplier performance," "strategic sourcing," and "vendor relationships." On the other hand, a job as a landman requires skills like "ownership reports," "title searches," "due diligence," and "right-of-way." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

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.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real technical buyer resumes. While technical buyer responsibilities can utilize skills like "supplier performance," "vendor relationships," "pos," and "erp," senior contract administrators/contract administrators use skills like "contract administration," "proposal preparation," "contract management," and "non-disclosure agreements."

As a subcontract administrator, you will be responsible for identifying the needs of a company and implement measures and initiatives to fulfill those needs. This role will require you to perform a few tasks, including responding to purchase requisitions, soliciting bids and proposals from new and existing sources, and evaluating terms and awarding the subcontract. You are then expected to monitor the subcontract terms, including plans, progress, and payments. You will also be responsible for negotiating additions, modifications, and deletions of subcontracts.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a technical buyer is likely to be skilled in "vendor relationships," "pos," "technical support," and "engineering drawings," while a typical procurement agent is skilled in "supply chain," "customer service," "project management," and "continuous improvement."