AS People: Inside the Role of an Administration & Procurement Manager with Laura Nicoli at Apogeo Space

In the fifth edition of our AS People series, we talk with Laura Nicoli , Administration & Procurement Manager at Apogeo Space. Laura shares the intricacies of her role, highlighting the essential responsibilities and challenges she faces daily in ensuring seamless operations and efficient procurement processes.

What are the main responsibilities and challenges of your daily work?

The main challenges and responsibilities of my daily work as an Administration & Procurement Manager primarily involve the timely execution of placing orders with suppliers and receiving materials, with a constant focus on cost savings and optimizing additional procurement-related expenses.

In the preliminary phase, it is also crucial to manage correspondence with potential suppliers effectively, aiming to receive offers from multiple companies promptly, compare the received proposals, and analyze all aspects related to the proposed sales conditions.

The Procurement phase described above directly connects to the Administration part, which involves generating purchase orders through the company’s management software, registering invoices related to the supply, and finally closing with payment reconciliation.

Particularly, the accounting registration of purchase invoices is a very important part of my work, as the assignment of the reference account allows for the precise allocation of these costs in specific sections of the balance sheet and enables their inclusion in reporting for obtaining credits, such as those for R&D for the relevant year.

Which other departments do you collaborate with most frequently, and how do you ensure effective communication?

The departments I am in close contact with are certainly those related to the technical sector, where the daily need to develop innovative implementations generates continuous needs for electronic components, thus requiring my support.

My work is also closely related to the executive management for the necessary approvals for payments related to purchases and for general support in the ordinary management of the company.

Communication with the various departments usually occurs in writing, but in the case of urgent operations, I prefer verbal communication as I find it more immediate.

What is your educational and professional background? How has it prepared you for your current role?

My educational background in accounting with a linguistic focus has undoubtedly created fundamental knowledge for my current role.

My previous work experiences, both as a customer care representative in my first role and as a procurement manager in an electronics company in my second role, have certainly completed my current background, ensuring a good command of both accounting management and Procurement.

Another aspect that has certainly helped me perform optimally in my current role is my experience in work environments where teamwork was highly required, which is also of fundamental importance in my current job.

Additionally, my work-related characteristics and motivational tendencies, which are also necessary for achieving company objectives, complete my professional toolkit.

Laura’s insights highlight the critical role of administration and procurement in the smooth operation of Apogeo Space. Stay tuned for more stories from the dedicated team at Apogeo Space in our AS People series.