Buyer vs supply chain coordinator

The differences between buyers and supply chain coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a buyer, becoming a supply chain coordinator takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a buyer has an average salary of $54,049, which is higher than the $50,728 average annual salary of a supply chain coordinator.

The top three skills for a buyer include purchase orders, customer service and logistics. The most important skills for a supply chain coordinator are supply chain, customer service, and logistics.

Buyer vs supply chain coordinator overview

	Buyer	Supply Chain Coordinator
Yearly salary	$54,049	$50,728
Hourly rate	$25.99	$24.39
Growth rate	-	28%
Number of jobs	23,589	33,654
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	-	6

What does a buyer do?

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.

What does a supply chain coordinator do?

A supply chain coordinator is an individual who is responsible for managing inventory and supply sources to support a company's manufacturing and anticipated demand. Supply chain coordinators must assist in the purchase of materials and services and follow-up with vendors to ensure that the purchase orders have the correct price, freight charge, and delivery date. They coordinate with the quality assurance (QA) inspectors to ensure the quality of the purchased parts and services. Under the directive orders from the logistics manager, supply chain coordinators must also perform inventory cycle counts.

Buyer vs supply chain coordinator salary

Buyers and supply chain coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Buyer	Supply Chain Coordinator
Average salary	$54,049	$50,728
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $76,000	Between $33,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	Englewood, NJ	Palmdale, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	California
Best paying company	NVIDIA	Stepan
Best paying industry	Automotive	Manufacturing

Differences between buyer and supply chain coordinator education

There are a few differences between a buyer and a supply chain coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Buyer	Supply Chain Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Stanford University

Buyer vs supply chain coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between buyers' and supply chain coordinators' demographics:

	Buyer	Supply Chain Coordinator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 43.9% Female, 56.1%	Male, 50.0% Female, 50.0%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	15%	10%

Differences between buyer and supply chain coordinator duties and responsibilities

Buyer example responsibilities.

Achieve QA initiatives by increasing transparency and communication with multiple departments and suppliers to achieve daily/weekly/monthly production requirements and expedites.
Manage all incoming RMA equipment, processing and directing to correct locations and departments.
Create, analyze and manage recaps pertaining to inventory, trends, OTB, and markdowns.
Manage KanBan spreadsheets to optimize inventory levels and supplier performance.
Manage business relationship with Japanese OEM of wide-format printer engines.
Manage MRB and IQA escalations to facilitate defective material resolutions.

Supply chain coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage production and warehouse teams ensuring DOD policies and corporate rules and regulations compliance while exceeding government nuclear facility audit standards.
Monitor MRP health and initiate corrective action when necessary.
Develop, update and maintain procedures and work instructions to reflect current ISO practices.
Maintain the approved supplier database in ERP system, and conduct annual supplier scorecards review meeting.
Surpass understanding and strict adherence of the guidelines set forth by OSHA, FDA regulations and ISO.
Review MRP weekly to order paper, boxes, band wrap, glue, inks as needed to meet production requirements.

Buyer vs supply chain coordinator skills

Common buyer skills

Purchase Orders, 22%
Customer Service, 11%
Logistics, 5%
Supplier Performance, 4%
MRP, 4%
Commodities, 3%

Common supply chain coordinator skills

Supply Chain, 23%
Customer Service, 11%
Logistics, 10%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Management System, 3%
Inventory Management, 3%

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Buyer vs Supply Chain Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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