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What Does an Outsourcing Manager Do?
Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison
An outsourcing manager works to manage outsourced projects for his employer. This may involve creating proposal requests, establishing budgets for projects, and reviewing proposals that are submitted to his company. He also may play a role in project creation and help prepare budgets for outsourced projects. Often, an outsourcing manager is responsible for approving proposals and monitoring the progress and performance of those hired to handle projects as well.
One of the jobs an outsourcing manager may have is the creation of proposal requests. A person with this title may carefully prepare requests for proposals from individuals and various types of businesses. Such proposal requests often include a description of the project and a desired timeline for completion. They may also include details about the budget planned for the outsourced project and the qualifications a person or business must have to be selected for it. Additionally, the manager may provide instructions for submitting proposals or bids.
Sometimes outsourcing managers are also actively involved in creating projects that will be outsourced. For example, an outsource manager may plan a writing project for his company and decide the number of words or pages it should include and the format in which it should be submitted. Sometimes a person with this title also helps in determining the budget for each project.
In many cases, an outsourcing manager is responsible for choosing individuals or businesses to tackle outsourced projects. He may review proposals and check qualifications in order to make the selection that will benefit his company the most. If he does not have the final say in outsourcing projects, however, he may still play an instrumental role in choosing or creating guidelines for approving proposals.
An outsourcing manager may also negotiate contracts — before they have begun as well as after they are active. For example, if a vendor chosen for an outsourced project requests a contract change, the manager may negotiate with the vendor. He may also negotiate any contract changes his employer desires.
A major part of the job may be monitoring projects. For example, he may monitor the status of outsourced projects to make sure they are proceeding as expected. He may also have the job of evaluating the performance of those chosen for outsourced projects. In some cases, he may even be called on to make changes to the scope and sequence of projects based on their progress or his employer's needs.
Nicole Madison
Nicole’s thirst for knowledge inspired her to become a PracticalAdultInsights writer, and she focuses primarily on topics such as homeschooling, parenting, health, science, and business. When not writing or spending time with her four children, Nicole enjoys reading, camping, and going to the beach.
Learn more...
Nicole Madison
Nicole’s thirst for knowledge inspired her to become a PracticalAdultInsights writer, and she focuses primarily on topics such as homeschooling, parenting, health, science, and business. When not writing or spending time with her four children, Nicole enjoys reading, camping, and going to the beach.
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![An outsourcing manager is responsible for monitoring the progress and performance of individuals hired to perform a project.]()
By: DragonImagesAn outsourcing manager is responsible for monitoring the progress and performance of individuals hired to perform a project. -
![Outsourcing managers may coordinate the relocation of equipment.]()
By: xixinxingOutsourcing managers may coordinate the relocation of equipment.
Discussion Comments
@Malka - Outsourcing does have some problems, but as a realist I know for a fact that it'll be around for awhile whether I like it or not.
I'm sure if things continue this way, many Americans will start becoming resentful of outsourced workers because they either lost their job to them, can't understand their accent during calls, or both. Resentment could lead to racism, which in my opinion is always a shame to see.
On the plus side, jobs like outsourced management have been invented because of outsourcing, so it's not entirely sucking jobs away from Americans and giving them to foreign employees (although I'll admit, more positions are being outsourced than are being invented here.)
Whether it's good for the economy or not isn't business' concern -- they want something good for their own finances, and the fact is that outsourcing gives them more money for less money spent, so they're going to go for it as long as it turns a profit.
Like vegetarians' attempts to shut down meat production by abstaining, there's little chance of customers' complaints stopping a business from outsourcing when it's that profitable.
I know it saves businesses a lot of money, but I think outsourcing is really bad for everybody involved. Consider, if you will, these outsourcing pros and cons.
Pros:
1. The company pays employees less.
2. The company can easily find employees willing to work jobs American employees might find boring or tedious.
3. The company still makes nearly the same profits it would have otherwise so it gets to keep more money since it didn't spend it on paying American employees.
Cons:
1. Customers get to deal with employees who often barely speak English, and even if they understand you, their accents are very thick so that it can be hard to understand them. I have nothing against these people, and I don't disrespect them or think they're stupid for being bad at English, but in a customer service job to Americans, speaking English is a job requirement.
2. Money paid out to these outsourced employees doesn't go back into the American economy, so it's not helping our country's economic problems.
3. Less jobs and paychecks -- even job loss! -- for American employees who are just as well-trained as the outsourced ones, and speak fluent English besides.
@SkittisH - Small world! "Outsourced" is also the reason I ended up at this article. I came here to look up real outsourcing management, because I think it sounds like a pretty neat job if you actually get to travel to the country that your office is outsourcing to.
Does anybody know if it actually works out that way in reality, or if that's sort of a one-off type of thing?
When I think of outsourcing managers, I immediately am reminded of the funny movie "Outsourced". In "Outsourced", the main character is a manager who arrives at work one day only to find that his entire office of employees have been fired, and all of their positions outsourced -- to India!
Unfortunately, as most people who have encountered outsourced employees during phone calls can attest to, the Indian employees aren't very experienced at speaking English or at acclimating to the cultures of the American customers who are calling them. The main character ends up traveling to India to meet and train the employees in their own office.
If you think this movie sounds racist, you shouldn't -- it's got lots of beautiful Indian culture and portrays the employees with respect.
I think this film a great thing for anybody to watch so that next time they get an outsourced foreign employee on the phone, they won't get frustrated with them for having such a thick accent. They're trying their best, and their job could make or break their whole household!
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