Assistant planner vs materials planner

The differences between assistant planners and materials planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an assistant planner and a materials planner. Additionally, an assistant planner has an average salary of $80,357, which is higher than the $58,467 average annual salary of a materials planner.

The top three skills for an assistant planner include strong analytical, purchase orders and allocation strategies. The most important skills for a materials planner are supply chain, MRP, and purchase orders.

Assistant planner vs materials planner overview

	Assistant Planner	Materials Planner
Yearly salary	$80,357	$58,467
Hourly rate	$38.63	$28.11
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	13,753	23,019
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does an assistant planner do?

An assistant planner is responsible for assisting the chief planner in identifying services and activities to help business functional operations and processes. Assistant planners usually coordinate with various departments to connect projects and develop business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources for the business and increase profitability. They also reach out to potential clients, discuss the services offered by the company, and prepare contracts for partnerships. An assistant planner must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in focusing on techniques that would help the business achieve its long-term goals and objectives.

What does a materials planner do?

Usually working in a manufacturing setting, a materials planner's role is to manage the supply flow and inventory of materials. Their responsibilities revolve around liaising with vendors and other external agencies, processing purchase orders, monitoring the quality of supplies to ensure it is according to the standards, and coordinating with various teams to learn their needs. Furthermore, as a planner, it is essential to devise strategies to resolve any issues, all while adhering to the company's policies and standards.

Assistant planner vs materials planner salary

Assistant planners and materials planners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Assistant Planner	Materials Planner
Average salary	$80,357	$58,467
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $125,000	Between $45,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	Monterey, CA	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Belk	Apple
Best paying industry	Media	Automotive

Differences between assistant planner and materials planner education

There are a few differences between an assistant planner and a materials planner in terms of educational background:

	Assistant Planner	Materials Planner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Assistant planner vs materials planner demographics

Here are the differences between assistant planners' and materials planners' demographics:

	Assistant Planner	Materials Planner
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 34.8% Female, 65.2%	Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 7.1% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between assistant planner and materials planner duties and responsibilities

Assistant planner example responsibilities.

Manage product flow in apparel category; determining order quantities and generating purchase orders for new and replenishment orders.
Used EDI for customer order releases and shipping information.
Price, negotiate and book shipments with customers and brokers via phone, email tenders and EDI.
Facilitate ISO audits as a lead quality inspector and maintain documentation revision and version control in adherence with ISO standards.
Create marketing campaigns through Volusion e-Commerce software, MyEmma email campaigns, USPS mail, & Facebook to drive revenue sales.
Analyze and recap sales results and inventory forecasts and present business recaps to senior management at quarterly update meetings.

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Materials planner example responsibilities.

Develop and implement purchasing and contract management, policies and procedures and manage ISO documents and improvements.
Determine material and component requirements base on the MRP system and ensure availability to support production schedules.
Monitor MRP forecasts, inventory, customer demand, production requirements, inventory transactions and reject material.
Create and maintain MRP classification codes in addition to reviewing BOM accuracy to ensure correct component identification, ordering and release.
Maintain and setup supplier pull systems (KANBAN).
Key team member in planning, training, implementation, and support of a new ERP system.

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Assistant planner vs materials planner skills

Common assistant planner skills

Strong Analytical, 8%
Purchase Orders, 8%
Allocation Strategies, 6%
GIS, 5%
Inventory Productivity, 5%
Inventory Management, 5%

Common materials planner skills

Supply Chain, 12%
MRP, 8%
Purchase Orders, 5%
Logistics, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
Material Planning, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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