Buyer lead vs planner/buyer

The differences between buyer leads and planner/buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a buyer lead and a planner/buyer. Additionally, a buyer lead has an average salary of $60,256, which is higher than the $54,261 average annual salary of a planner/buyer.

The top three skills for a buyer lead include purchase orders, supplier performance and commodities. The most important skills for a planner/buyer are supply chain, purchase orders, and customer service.

Buyer lead vs planner/buyer overview

	Buyer Lead	Planner/Buyer
Yearly salary	$60,256	$54,261
Hourly rate	$28.97	$26.09
Growth rate	-	-3%
Number of jobs	20,610	33,452
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

Buyer lead vs planner/buyer salary

Buyer leads and planner/buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Buyer Lead	Planner/Buyer
Average salary	$60,256	$54,261
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $82,000	Between $37,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Billerica, MA
Highest paying state	Maryland	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Lam Research	Edwards Lifesciences
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between buyer lead and planner/buyer education

There are a few differences between a buyer lead and a planner/buyer in terms of educational background:

	Buyer Lead	Planner/Buyer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Buyer lead vs planner/buyer demographics

Here are the differences between buyer leads' and planner/buyers' demographics:

	Buyer Lead	Planner/Buyer
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6%	Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1%
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, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between buyer lead and planner/buyer 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.

Planner/buyer example responsibilities.

Manage assign commodities by communicating MRP changes to the suppliers, minimizing obsolete inventory while achieving the optimum inventory levels.
Manage monthly and year end physical inventory audits of all raw materials, WIP, and finish goods.
Manage inventory pipelines from NPI to manufacturing and/or offshore contract manufacturers.
Utilize company ERP system for inventory management and schedule optimization.
Plan and coordinate all material requirements of assign commodities and supplier availability utilizing the MRP system.
Synchronize with packers and freight forwarders to arrange and prepare documentation shipment export.

Buyer lead vs planner/buyer skills

Common buyer lead skills

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

Common planner/buyer skills

Supply Chain, 14%
Purchase Orders, 14%
Customer Service, 7%
MRP, 6%
ERP, 3%
Logistics, 3%