The level ladder.
Fourteen accredited qualifications from three institutes, placed on one progression. Read up the ladder for a career. Read across it for a workforce.
- 2First line
For someone who has just taken charge of a small team, or who handles day-to-day procurement transactions. No prior qualification is expected.
CMIAward in Team LeadingLevel 2CIPSCertificate in Procurement and Supply OperationsLevel 2 - 3Foundation
For people new to a profession, or already doing the work without the formal grounding. The most common entry point for human resources careers in this region.
CIPDFoundation Certificate in People PracticeLevel 3CMIDiploma in Principles of Management and LeadershipLevel 3CIPSAdvanced Certificate in Procurement and Supply OperationsLevel 3 - 4Established
For a practitioner with a few years behind them who now owns a category, a process or a caseload.
CIPSDiploma in Procurement and SupplyLevel 4 - 5Senior professional
For managers and specialists who advise the business rather than execute for it. The busiest rung on the ladder, and the one most sponsored cohorts sit on.
CIPDAssociate Diploma in People ManagementLevel 5CIPDAssociate Diploma in Organisational Learning and DevelopmentLevel 5CMIDiploma in Management and LeadershipLevel 5CMIAward in Professional Team CoachingLevel 5CIPSAdvanced Diploma in Procurement and SupplyLevel 5 - 6Lead professional
For heads of function accountable for strategy and spend. Completion at this level, with the required experience, opens the route to full MCIPS.
CIPSProfessional Diploma in Procurement and SupplyLevel 6 - 7Executive
For directors and executives setting organisational direction, and for those who coach them. Postgraduate in demand, and assessed as such.
CMIDiploma in Strategic Management and Leadership PracticeLevel 7CMICertificate in Leadership Coaching and MentoringLevel 7
02Reading the ladder for a workforce
One person sees a next step. A head of learning sees a distribution.
Plot a function against the ladder and the shape of the problem appears quickly. A procurement department clustered at Level 3 with nobody above Level 4 has no succession. A human resources team where everyone holds Level 5 and nobody holds Level 7 will keep escalating strategy questions upward.
We run that mapping as part of a training needs analysis, and it is usually the first piece of evidence a chief human resources officer can take to a board without argument.