Discover 7 rewarding career paths unlocked by CIPS certification. Boost your procurement, supply chain, and leadership skills to achieve global professional success.
It is a normal phase for procurement professionals to wonder about what career options are there with CIPS certification. Unfortunately, the MCIPS accreditation and the CIPS Level 6 Advanced Diploma in Procurement & Supply does not offer qualification at the Master's level. As there are no further CIPS qualifications, it might seem that middle and senior managers cannot improve their skills.
So let us break through this myth and see how to claim opportunities for achieving further CIPS accreditation and additional strategic management qualifications without any specialized CIPS training. With a little bit of additional effort, it is surprising how one can enhance the handy 'MCIPS' designated letters after their name, in turn enhancing their personalized brands in multiple ways. In other words, no level of CIPS certification is the end of your journey.
Through this article, let us learn about the various rewarding career paths an individual can gain after earning the CIPS certification.
Discover 7 Career Options After Completing Your CIPS Certification
Unlock the world of opportunities in the supply and procurement field after completing your CIPS certification. Each of the following is a step up from MCIPS and every one of them has the potential to contribute to your professional development.
1. MCIPS (Chartered)
Your CIPS certification is not a dead end. Once you have achieved MCIPS, you can evidence 30 hours CPD and undertake the CIPS annual ethics e-learning along with the test. This way you get the chance to upgrade to the 'Chartered' status. This will be shown on the CIPS Professional Register. You can start the upgrade process by visiting 'My CIPS' on the CIPS website.
2. FCIPS
Dissatisfied with available CIPS courses? A CIPS Fellowship is the highest grade of CIPS membership and elevates you to the status of a senior advocate. The CIPS certification recognizes outstanding knowledge and experience in strategic procurement and supply chain management and also promotes the contribution of supporting and raising the profile of the profession.
A crucial factor to be noted would be that you will be required to provide evidence and references and there is also a fee for your submission to be reviewed by the independent fellowship panel. Another requirement would be to remember that these designatory letters can only be used if you continue to maintain your CIPS membership through payment of annual membership fees.
3. Undertaking Further Studies
If your goal is knowledge, no CIPS training can be labelled as the finish line. While there exist many available postgraduate CIPS courses in the market, the vast majority of them focus very heavily on logistics and international supply chains, which may not be that relevant to procurement leaders in your sector.
Since many senior leaders often require wider strategic business skills to contribute to their organization, being satisfied with a CIPS certification will put a plug in your career opportunities. The aforementioned senior leaders are always on the lookout for an MBA or M.Sc. in Strategic Management and Leadership or, as an equivalent, a Level 7 professional qualification accredited by the Chartered Management Institution (CMI) or Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). This often offers Fellowship status membership on completion.
4. Continuing Professional Development
As we never cease absorbing knowledge from the day-to-day challenges that our work-life presents, much of CPD (Continuing Professional Development) are quite unconsciously achieved. Actively seeking out CPD opportunities after acquiring your CIPS certification will ensure that you remain relevant to the current market. There are various methods of achieving this, depending on the time you can spare.
Learn more about CIPS: CIPS Certification Training
Leadership Roles after Earning CIPS
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Enquire Now5. Quick Fixes
A quick fix refers to browsing online on a reasonably regular basis and subscribing to updates. After you obtain your CIPS certification, you can subscribe to a daily update from Supply Management for procurement focus. The Procurement Leaders website also provides a lot of free resources and updates. Furthermore, the opportunity for collaborative learning provided by the BUFDG and HEPA websites is comparable to well-structured CIPS training in their discussion forums.
6. Sector and Consortia Conferences
Anyone would be lucky to be in the HE sector because that is where they would often experience annual regional consortia conferences. This is where you get the opportunity to attend CPD workshops, taster sessions and listen to keynote speakers arises. They are usually free to attend, only need a day out of the office, and are a great opportunity to not only network with one's regional peers but also swap ideas and tips.
There are also the biennial COUP and HEPA conferences which offer an opportunity to meet with national peers from university procurement. Whilst there is a small charge attached to this to cover food and accommodation, it provides a much greater breadth of opportunities to network over a tight span of 2 or 3 days.
7. Training Courses
Gaining a CIPS certification is not the end. Your institution may well have a leadership development program or CPD workshops that might be beneficial for you to attend.
Conclusion
Procurement and supply professionals have different learning and development styles and requirements. There are different pathways allowing you to not only achieve your internationally recognized CIPS professional designation but also go beyond it. The salaries may grow to become increasingly competitive, but if you have ample exposure, you will be a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
