The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Senior Procurement Digitalisation Consultant (L3)
3-5 yearsSkills to master
- Deep configuration expertise in a specific S2P platform, leading technical workstreams, requirements gathering, stakeholder management for project delivery.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully led 2-3 major module implementations from a technical perspective.
- Consistently delivered project workstreams on time and to a high technical standard.
- Received strong feedback on your ability to troubleshoot complex configuration issues.
- Started informally mentoring junior team members.
- 2
IT Solutions Architect (from another domain)
4-6 years (after initial IT Architect experience)Skills to master
- Understanding of procurement processes and terminology, learning the specific S2P/ERP platforms, translating general architectural principles to a procurement context.
You're ready to move on when
- Demonstrated ability to quickly learn new business domains and their associated technologies.
- Successfully designed complex integrations between enterprise systems in previous roles.
- Actively sought out opportunities to learn about procurement processes and challenges.
- Can articulate how architectural principles apply to business outcomes in procurement.
- 3
Data Architect / Data Engineer
4-6 years (after initial Data Architect experience)Skills to master
- Understanding of procurement data models (spend, supplier, contract), data governance in an S2P context, and the specific data requirements of procurement analytics.
You're ready to move on when
- Proven track record of designing robust data pipelines and master data management solutions.
- Strong skills in data modelling, ETL, and data quality assurance.
- Developed an interest in how data drives procurement decisions and efficiency.
- Can translate complex data challenges into business-friendly explanations.