Director of sourcing vs purchasing manager

The differences between directors of sourcing and 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 director of sourcing and a purchasing manager. Additionally, a director of sourcing has an average salary of $140,924, which is higher than the $98,118 average annual salary of a purchasing manager.

The top three skills for a director of sourcing include supply chain, strategic sourcing and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a purchasing manager are supply chain, strategic sourcing, and project management.

Director of sourcing vs purchasing manager overview

	Director Of Sourcing	Purchasing Manager
Yearly salary	$140,924	$98,118
Hourly rate	$67.75	$47.17
Growth rate	-6%	-6%
Number of jobs	14,569	30,430
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a director of sourcing do?

A director of sourcing is an executive professional who supervises a team of sourcing managers that manages the supply portfolio of a company to ensure spending transparency. This director is required to direct overseas factory meetings weekly to review product development and optimize the company's overall supply chain. The director must lead cross-functional process improvement teams to enhance performance and improve product quality. This director must also maintain excellent working relationships with vendors to ensure the success of their projects.

What does a purchasing manager do?

A purchasing manager is responsible for organizing and managing products to order or sell. Purchasing managers review product specifications, negotiate pricing details with the vendors, evaluate and choose the best suppliers, and assist purchasing agents. Purchase managers are also responsible for resolving order processing issues and analyzing current market trends to determine which products to purchase. A purchasing manager must have excellent decision-making and strategical skills to examine effects, inspect defective items, and create an in-depth analysis of customers' needs to improve their performance and sales.

Director of sourcing vs purchasing manager salary

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

	Director Of Sourcing	Purchasing Manager
Average salary	$140,924	$98,118
Salary range	Between $99,000 And $200,000	Between $70,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Richmond, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Maine
Best paying company	NVIDIA	McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry	Retail	Technology

Differences between director of sourcing and purchasing manager education

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

	Director Of Sourcing	Purchasing Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Director of sourcing vs purchasing manager demographics

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

	Director Of Sourcing	Purchasing Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 73.7% Female, 26.3%	Male, 67.0% Female, 33.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 7.4% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between director of sourcing and purchasing manager duties and responsibilities

Director of sourcing example responsibilities.

Attain ISO 9002 certification in a FDA supervise GMP facility.
Review RFI and RFP s and award business and contracts as well as managing reverse auctions.
Manage transportation logistics and schedule delivery pickup to ensure inventory levels of consumer goods are maintained and program initiatives fully support.
Establish QC manuals and audit process for 3rd party resident inspection team in Asia.
Mentore organization through FDA and TUV audits, product recalls, and complaint investigations CAPA.
Lead national RFP responses from major global organizations, which result in new national account customers.

Purchasing manager example responsibilities.

Manage payroll and accounts payable.
Lead major purchasing projects for automotive OEM vehicles.
Used RFI, RFP, RFQ techniques to identify, select, and engage with suppliers to ensure competitive market advantage.
Establish an integrate MRO supply program which eliminate specific company manage buying, inventory control and warehousing functions.
Manage all procurement activities to support manufacturing operations including raw materials, tooling, components and MRO services.
Manage several indirect sourcing RFP projects including categories for translation services, payroll services, capital equipment and engineering services.

Director of sourcing vs purchasing manager skills

Common director of sourcing skills

Supply Chain, 14%
Strategic Sourcing, 8%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
Project Management, 5%
Process Improvement, 5%
Logistics, 4%

Common purchasing manager skills

Supply Chain, 15%
Strategic Sourcing, 7%
Project Management, 5%
Supplier Performance, 5%
Continuous Improvement, 4%
Purchase Orders, 4%

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Director Of Sourcing
Director Of Sourcing vs Purchasing Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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