Contractor buyer vs order processing specialist

The differences between contractor buyers and order processing specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a contractor buyer and an order processing specialist. Additionally, a contractor buyer has an average salary of $40,785, which is higher than the $37,540 average annual salary of an order processing specialist.

The top three skills for a contractor buyer include customer service, purchase orders and data entry. The most important skills for an order processing specialist are customer service, data entry, and purchase orders.

Contractor buyer vs order processing specialist overview

	Contractor Buyer	Order Processing Specialist
Yearly salary	$40,785	$37,540
Hourly rate	$19.61	$18.05
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	22,985	46,043
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a contractor buyer do?

A contractor buyer is responsible for acquiring materials and resources for construction and manufacturing processes that meet the quality standards and budget limitations. Contractor buyers negotiate offers with trusted suppliers and vendors for cost-effective materials based on design specifications and requirements. They also monitor the accurate distribution and delivery schedules to maintain the consistency of project plans and finish the task within the required deadlines. A contractor buyer must have excellent knowledge of the construction industry to identify the reliability of resources and handle the costings efficiently.

What does an order processing specialist do?

An order processing specialist is a business administrator in charge of processing customer orders by recording and processes daily purchases and activating new customer accounts. Order processing specialists work in collaboration with other teams such as sales and marketing for accurate capture and validation of orders. You may also be required to communicate with customers to confirm orders and ensure that customer requests are met accurately and in time for delivery or pick up.

Contractor buyer vs order processing specialist salary

Contractor buyers and order processing specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Contractor Buyer	Order Processing Specialist
Average salary	$40,785	$37,540
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $50,000	Between $26,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Mahwah, NJ
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Johnson Controls	Schneider Electric Industrial Services
Best paying industry	Technology	Health Care

Differences between contractor buyer and order processing specialist education

There are a few differences between a contractor buyer and an order processing specialist in terms of educational background:

	Contractor Buyer	Order Processing Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Contractor buyer vs order processing specialist demographics

Here are the differences between contractor buyers' and order processing specialists' demographics:

	Contractor Buyer	Order Processing Specialist
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%	Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 5.9% White, 63.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 5.9% White, 63.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between contractor buyer and order processing specialist duties and responsibilities

Contractor buyer example responsibilities.

Manage OEM IBM customer account from quote to cash.
Manage returned inventory (RMA's), and provide internal reporting as needed.
Facilitate and manage the logistics of large, multifamily cooperative purchases.
Manage escalations and expedites process in support of shorten interval requests.
Work with BAAN, an ERP system, to check MRP and place purchase orders and production orders.
Preside over inventory cycle counts and ISO audits.

Order processing specialist example responsibilities.

Manage escalations and expedites process in support of shorten interval requests.
Review order enter by other CSR's and correct orders as needed.
Create invoices, process return requests, issue RMA's, provide order status.
Forward customer relate issues to appropriate CSR, enter all quotes into the system in a timely manner.
Process payroll transactions timely and accurately which result in being cost-effective.
Provide ancillary support including vendor payroll, vendor processing and payment acquisition.

Contractor buyer vs order processing specialist skills

Common contractor buyer skills

Customer Service, 18%
Purchase Orders, 16%
Data Entry, 7%
Logistics, 4%
Customer Orders, 4%
ERP, 4%

Common order processing specialist skills

Customer Service, 14%
Data Entry, 13%
Purchase Orders, 10%
Order Entry, 9%
Inbound Calls, 7%
Sales Orders, 6%

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Contractor Buyer vs Order Processing Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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