Director of purchasing vs supply manager

The differences between directors of purchasing and supply 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 director of purchasing and a supply manager. Additionally, a director of purchasing has an average salary of $106,945, which is higher than the $96,971 average annual salary of a supply manager.

The top three skills for a director of purchasing include supply chain, purchase orders and product development. The most important skills for a supply manager are supply chain, patients, and supplier performance.

Director of purchasing vs supply manager overview

	Director Of Purchasing	Supply Manager
Yearly salary	$106,945	$96,971
Hourly rate	$51.42	$46.62
Growth rate	-6%	-6%
Number of jobs	17,847	30,833
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	47	47
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 supply manager do?

A supply manager or supply chain manager is an individual who supervises the import or creation of raw materials that are to be used by the company to form new products. Supply managers are required to coordinate all aspects of the supply chain to ensure that they are efficient and cost-effective. They must maintain low costs and high efficiency by building and maintaining relationships with the company's partners. Supply managers should also recruit staff members and provide training to help them learn and master their jobs.

Director of purchasing vs supply manager salary

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

	Director Of Purchasing	Supply Manager
Average salary	$106,945	$96,971
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $166,000	Between $68,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	New York
Best paying company	Rivian	PVH
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between director of purchasing and supply manager education

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

	Director Of Purchasing	Supply Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Director of purchasing vs supply manager demographics

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

	Director Of Purchasing	Supply Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 75.1% Female, 24.9%	Male, 70.0% Female, 30.0%
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, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	11%	10%

Differences between director of purchasing and supply manager 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.

Supply manager example responsibilities.

Manage global supply partners for PCB assembly from product introduction through mass production.
Manage supplier relationship, conduct quarterly supplier reviews to ensure suppliers are meeting predetermine KPI's.
Lead, organize and complete all assignment and/or replication of OEM software contracts for Lucent/AVAYA spin-off.
Manage supplier MRP by identifying and tracking critical component changes, board spins, and lead-time analysis.
Develop detail CapEx requirements, secure CapEx funding, and manage the supply and qualification of production equipment.
Manage hedging of key commodities to reduce volatility in their prices and generate cost savings for manufacturing centers

Director of purchasing vs supply manager skills

Common director of purchasing skills

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

Common supply manager skills

Supply Chain, 25%
Patients, 6%
Supplier Performance, 6%
Supplier Relationships, 5%
Cost Savings, 5%
Chain Management, 5%

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Director Of Purchasing
Director Of Purchasing vs Supply Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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