Director of purchasing vs purchasing buyer

The differences between directors of purchasing and purchasing 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 director of purchasing and a purchasing buyer. Additionally, a director of purchasing has an average salary of $106,945, which is higher than the $47,471 average annual salary of a purchasing buyer.

The top three skills for a director of purchasing include supply chain, purchase orders and product development. The most important skills for a purchasing buyer are purchase orders, logistics, and cost savings.

Director of purchasing vs purchasing buyer overview

	Director Of Purchasing	Purchasing Buyer
Yearly salary	$106,945	$47,471
Hourly rate	$51.42	$22.82
Growth rate	-6%	-
Number of jobs	17,847	21,158
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	47	48
Years of experience	6	6

What does a director of purchasing do?

A director of purchasing oversees the procedures related to buying resources and supplies, directing operations from planning to execution while adhering to standards and company policies. They primarily perform research and assessments to understand project needs in terms of price, quality, and delivery time. They also identify ideal suppliers, negotiate deals, and build positive business relationships. Additionally, a director of purchasing has the authority to make significant decisions, delegate responsibilities among staff, oversee employment procedures within the department, and solve issues and concerns when any arise.

What does a purchasing buyer do?

In a retail setting, a purchasing buyer is primarily responsible for devising strategies for procuring supplies, ensuring that it aligns with the company's needs and standards. They are also responsible for conducting thorough marketing research and analysis, coordinating with different departments to gather and process documentation, liaising and negotiating with vendors and suppliers, and keeping track of all purchasing orders to ensure accuracy and timeliness. Furthermore, as a purchasing buyer, it is essential to maintain records of all transactions and submit regular reports to supervisors.

Director of purchasing vs purchasing buyer salary

Directors of purchasing and purchasing buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Purchasing	Purchasing Buyer
Average salary	$106,945	$47,471
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $166,000	Between $35,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Goleta, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Rivian	Aramco Services Company
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Automotive

Differences between director of purchasing and purchasing buyer education

There are a few differences between a director of purchasing and a purchasing buyer in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Purchasing	Purchasing Buyer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Director of purchasing vs purchasing buyer demographics

Here are the differences between directors of purchasing' and purchasing buyers' demographics:

	Director Of Purchasing	Purchasing Buyer
Average age	47	48
Gender ratio	Male, 75.1% Female, 24.9%	Male, 41.9% Female, 58.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.5% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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%
LGBT Percentage	11%	7%

Differences between director of purchasing and purchasing buyer duties and responsibilities

Director of purchasing example responsibilities.

Manage all aspects of the RFQ process, contracts, cost and rebate negotiations, and awarding of business.
Manage out-bound logistics services and third-party logistics providers to expand the range of commodities need to support automobile and aerospace manufacturing.
Develop standards and implement procedures for materials planning, product acquisition, inventory control, material distribution and logistics management.
Implement cost controls using commodity segmentation, vendor KPI's and cost justification base on key market indicators.
Monitor KPI indicators such as inventory turns, supplier on time delivery, inventory cycle count accuracy, and PPV.
Develop RFP (request for proposal) analysis, negotiation strategy, contract drafting and agreement execution plans on all contracts.

Purchasing buyer example responsibilities.

Manage the development of RFP process per departmental and legal requirements.
Create and manage requisitions, code billing statements and reconcile monthly bills in PeopleSoft.
Manage logistics and materials receive for appropriate quantities, timeliness and accuracy to complete project project.
Complete request for quotation (RFQ), design reviews, and advance product quality planning (APQP).
Used MRP to track and develop orders for electronic and mechanical commodities for high volume 32,000 a day unit product.
Make purchasing decisions base on the examination and recommendations of the ERP planning system and issuing and maintaining supplier purchase orders.

Director of purchasing vs purchasing buyer skills

Common director of purchasing skills

Supply Chain, 18%
Purchase Orders, 9%
Product Development, 7%
Vendor Relations, 6%
Logistics, 5%
Cost Savings, 4%

Common purchasing buyer skills

Purchase Orders, 29%
Logistics, 6%
Cost Savings, 5%
ERP, 4%
MRP, 4%
RFQ, 4%

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Director Of Purchasing
Director Of Purchasing vs Purchasing Buyer

Updated January 8, 2025

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