Buyer lead vs category manager

The differences between buyer leads and category managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a buyer lead, becoming a category manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a category manager has an average salary of $102,035, which is higher than the $60,256 average annual salary of a buyer lead.

The top three skills for a buyer lead include purchase orders, supplier performance and commodities. The most important skills for a category manager are strategic sourcing, category strategy, and supplier performance.

Buyer lead vs category manager overview

	Buyer Lead	Category Manager
Yearly salary	$60,256	$102,035
Hourly rate	$28.97	$49.06
Growth rate	-	10%
Number of jobs	20,610	108,424
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	48	39
Years of experience	6	10

Buyer lead vs category manager salary

Buyer leads and category managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Buyer Lead	Category Manager
Average salary	$60,256	$102,035
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $82,000	Between $74,000 And $138,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Maryland	Nevada
Best paying company	Lam Research	McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Manufacturing

Differences between buyer lead and category manager education

There are a few differences between a buyer lead and a category manager in terms of educational background:

	Buyer Lead	Category Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Georgia

Buyer lead vs category manager demographics

Here are the differences between buyer leads' and category managers' demographics:

	Buyer Lead	Category Manager
Average age	48	39
Gender ratio	Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6%	Male, 55.7% Female, 44.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	10%

Differences between buyer lead and category manager duties and responsibilities

Buyer lead example responsibilities.

Facilitate and manage key communication between internal customers and suppliers regarding RFP status, price and contract negotiations.
Used T4m (ERP system )
Direct and indirect (MRO) purchase materials.
Implement usage of ERP system to its full capacity.
Serve as key team member on development and implementation of automate MRO systems.
Issue and analyze RFQ and RFP to obtain the best cost and quality for goods and services.

Category manager example responsibilities.

Lead team to manage predominantly seasonal fashion apparel by reacting to trends with appropriate buys and proactive exit strategies.
Manage and create purchase plans and OTB's.
Design and manage all BTL plans for the brands.
Manage multiple sources of data to mine for business voids and opportunities at both macro and micro levels.
Deliver profit and sales forecasts, manage merchandising budget, and used IRI data to produce optimal product mix.
Lead a high performance jewelry merchandising team in a digital commerce environment through television, e-commerce, and social media.

Buyer lead vs category manager skills

Common buyer lead skills

Purchase Orders, 19%
Supplier Performance, 17%
Commodities, 7%
RFQ, 6%
On-Time Delivery, 6%
Customer Service, 4%

Common category manager skills

Strategic Sourcing, 8%
Category Strategy, 8%
Supplier Performance, 5%
Supplier Relationships, 4%
Customer Service, 4%
Cost Savings, 4%