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The differences between acquisition specialists and buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an acquisition specialist, becoming a buyer takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, an acquisition specialist has an average salary of $65,906, which is higher than the $54,049 average annual salary of a buyer.
The top three skills for an acquisition specialist include program management, market research and DOD. The most important skills for a buyer are purchase orders, customer service, and logistics.
| Acquisition Specialist | Buyer | |
| Yearly salary | $65,906 | $54,049 |
| Hourly rate | $31.69 | $25.99 |
| Growth rate | 9% | - |
| Number of jobs | 17,543 | 23,589 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 48 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
An acquisition specialist is in charge of developing strategies to acquire goods and services on behalf of a company. Their responsibilities include coordinating with different departments to gather data, conducting extensive research and analysis to find cost-efficient materials and resources, liaising with external parties such as vendors and suppliers, negotiating contracts, and arranging payment plans. Furthermore, an acquisition specialist may also participate in a company's employment procedures and recruit potential employees in adherence to the company's vision and mission.
A buyer's duties include product sourcing and comparing resources for the best product range that would suit the specific needs of the business. Buyers must have excellent communication and negotiation skills to evaluate items that most likely benefit the customer and improve the sales of daily operations with cost-efficient products. They also conduct extensive research for market and price trends while considering the highest quality standards. Buyers should also possess strong analytical skills to create purchase orders and statistical analysis.
Acquisition specialists and buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Acquisition Specialist | Buyer | |
| Average salary | $65,906 | $54,049 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $99,000 | Between $37,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Englewood, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Amazon | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an acquisition specialist and a buyer in terms of educational background:
| Acquisition Specialist | Buyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between acquisition specialists' and buyers' demographics:
| Acquisition Specialist | Buyer | |
| Average age | 48 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.9% Female, 48.1% | Male, 43.9% Female, 56.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 7.6% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 15% |