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The differences between contracts managers and senior purchasing managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a contracts manager and a senior purchasing manager. Additionally, a senior purchasing manager has an average salary of $109,837, which is higher than the $72,691 average annual salary of a contracts manager.
The top three skills for a contracts manager include contract management, contract administration and contract terms. The most important skills for a senior purchasing manager are supply chain, purchase orders, and logistics.
| Contracts Manager | Senior Purchasing Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $72,691 | $109,837 |
| Hourly rate | $34.95 | $52.81 |
| Growth rate | -6% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 13,218 | 19,183 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A contract manager is responsible for finalizing contract agreements between the company and its clients, revising documents, creating procurement proposals, and managing breach of contracts immediately. Contract managers respond to clients' inquiries and concerns about the contract's terms, conditions, and adjustment requests. They should be highly knowledgeable with legal terms and legislation regulations, ensuring that documents align with their objectives. The contract manager should also stay updated with the latest trends to meet contract demands, identify more business opportunities to boost revenues, and achieve profitability goals.
A senior purchasing manager is responsible for spearheading and overseeing the efforts in purchasing supplies for a company. They are in charge of managing purchasing teams, gathering purchase requests, identifying the company's needs, and setting goals in adherence to the budget. They must also liaise with vendors and suppliers, negotiate contracts, and build positive relationships with them. Furthermore, as a senior manager, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Contracts managers and senior purchasing managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contracts Manager | Senior Purchasing Manager | |
| Average salary | $72,691 | $109,837 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $116,000 | Between $79,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Oakland, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Tonix Pharmaceuticals |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a contracts manager and a senior purchasing manager in terms of educational background:
| Contracts Manager | Senior Purchasing Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between contracts managers' and senior purchasing managers' demographics:
| Contracts Manager | Senior Purchasing Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.0% Female, 46.0% | Male, 68.0% Female, 32.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 7.4% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 7.4% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |