What is Procurement Engineering?
In a nutshell, procurement engineering involves developing the specifications needed to acquire the components necessary for building items. For example, you could secure a position in an aerospace company and as part of your work in procurement you might have to develop the specifications for a part needed on a rocket or some other piece of equipment.
When you hold this type of position, you are also going to have a role working with suppliers for the company. Your job will require you to choose the components that are needed to complete projects as well as to develop the plans for any components that would need to be custom made.
Additionally, you may be required to create reports and to meet with other members of management and others from the engineering department to discuss the projects and the specific purchasing needs for the projects.
Finding Procurement Engineering Jobs
If you have decided to pursue this type of engineering position, you can go about finding available jobs in a number of different ways.
For college students in the engineering program, one way to locate these positions may be through job fairs through your school. Many of the top companies hiring procurement engineers are interested in laying claim to the newest talent right out of the door. To do this, they make a point of heading to the top engineering colleges in the nation and meeting with students who may be interested in pursuing these careers.
Another potential method for college students to gain experiences is through an internship program. During the final stages of your engineering training, you may be able to secure a position working in a company in the engineering field. As an intern, you may or may not receive payment and/or school credit for your work. However, there are several advantages to obtaining an internship. Internships offer solid, hands-on experience, and, in many cases, can blossom into full-time positions following graduation. Internships can also provide networking opportunities that can help you secure a position in the future.
Of course, if you are no longer a student and have already been working in engineering or are looking to find your first job in the field, you have some other options available. If you know of any companies that are hiring for these types of positions, you could consider applying with them directly. Most companies today have their own Web sites where you can find listings of available jobs including procurement engineering jobs.
The problem with this approach to job searching is that if you’re not familiar with all of the companies who may need to hire someone, you could be missing out on available opportunities in the industry.
If you are fortunate enough to be located in a place where a large number of engineering firms are placed, then you might be able to resort to the old-fashioned method of consulting the classified ads. Some of these ads are available in the newspapers, but many are offered through the newspapers’ online sites.
However, if you’re going to be spending so much time doing your search on the Internet, you should also consider looking into job search sites. These come in two varieties. First, you can find the general sites where employers from all industries and from all over the country post their available positions. While these sites do have a large number of job postings, the majority of them probably will not be of interest to you or your career needs. However, this can be a good place to start searching.
The second type of job search site is a career-specific one. These are places where employers in specific industries can actually place their positions. The obvious advantage to these sites is that you will have access to a more-focused number of positions. Although the number of postings will be smaller, these will be targeted to your industry. In this case, you might look for a site focused on procurement or engineering.
When you go to both types of job search sites, you can conduct searches to narrow your choices to a certain area or certain type of position. Plus, you can save the results and then be contacted when available positions appear on the site. That gives you an easier way to apply for them.
If you are serious about finding a position in the procurement engineering area, you might want to consider choosing multiple methods of searching. When you have more options, you also have a better chance of finding the right position and of getting the position you want.
