The CIPS Procurement & Supply Salary Guide, in partnership with Hays, is based on an annual survey of 5,000+ procurement and supply professionals and analyses trends in talent recruitment and retention, including trends by job level.
According to the 2025 guide, entry-level procurement professionals (those at “delivering” level) need a specific combination of skills to get ahead – and want leaders they can trust.
What is a “delivering” level professional?
“Delivering” level professionals are those focused on day-to-day activities and delivery. Those who manage their own workload, follow agreed procedures and have no direct responsibility for the work of others.
Here are some typical roles at “delivering” level:
Assistant buyer
Buyer
Category officer
Inventory planner
Logistics analyst
Procurement executive
Procurement/purchasing officer
Purchasing assistant
Supply chain analyst
Supply chain planner
If this sounds like you, then keep reading for the latest insights tailored to your job level.
Insights that matter for entry-level procurement professionals
1. Deliverers are optimists
With procurement headcounts growing in uncertain times, the profession is in the spotlight as never before – and it’s at the delivering level that professionals see a bright future. In the UK, more than half of delivering-level respondents said they expect that procurement and supply will come to enjoy a similar professional status to accountancy. Meanwhile, 68% – more than at any other level – said they expect procurement and supply chain qualifications to become more valued.
2. MCIPS can make a difference
Nearly half of recruiters looking to fill delivering-level jobs want candidates to have MCIPS designation or to be in the process of studying it. And at this level, average UK salaries for those who are MCIPS are 10% larger than for those who aren’t.
3. Pay is consistent across sectors
While other job levels see big gaps between the different sectors – with the private sector paying far more for certain roles – delivering-level salaries are even across the private, public and third sectors. In the UK, public sector delivering professionals actually outearn their private sector colleagues, with an average salary of £34,746 as opposed to £34,365. Third-sector deliverers aren’t far behind, with an average of £32,031.
4. Deliverers must be communicators
Among the range of soft and technical skills procurement and supply professionals need, communication is rated as the most important for delivering roles. Singled out by 59% of UK respondents, it is 7 points ahead of supplier relationship management in the ranking of necessary skills for delivering level.
5. Salaries are rising more than at other levels
In the UK, a slightly lower proportion of delivering-level professionals saw their salaries rise compares to other levels – but the figure was still 68%, representing a 1-point rise on the year before. And the average raise was 6.09% – a larger figure than at any other level.
Use our salary calculator to benchmark your role better
For a practical sense of what this all means for your role, use our salary calculator to find out what you’re worth and to compare yourself to others in the profession. The salary calculator provides average salaries for procurement and supply roles globally and filtered not only by job level, but by region, gender and sector. This instructional video gives a breakdown of how to use the calculator.