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The differences between inventory leads and inventory specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an inventory lead has an average salary of $42,812, which is higher than the $35,752 average annual salary of an inventory specialist.
The top three skills for an inventory lead include PET, direct reports and customer service. The most important skills for an inventory specialist are customer service, sales floor, and reservations.
| Inventory Lead | Inventory Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $42,812 | $35,752 |
| Hourly rate | $20.58 | $17.19 |
| Growth rate | -3% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 19,766 | 161,107 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Average age | 45 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
The inventory lead acts as an inventory manager who oversees the inventory level of a business and leads inventory or warehouse employees in record-tracking of new stocks delivered and shipped out. The inventory manager is responsible for recording daily deliveries, assessing new shipments, and analyzing various suppliers. To optimize operations, he/she manages employee's schedules, shipments, and deliveries and develops interpersonal ability and leadership skills while working with marketing, sales, and purchasing managers.
An Inventory Specialist's responsibility is to oversee the inventory in a warehouse or establishment. Most of the tasks of an Inventory Specialist revolve around monitoring the requisition, storage, and deliveries of supplies and merchandise to ensure the quality and quantity of the products. Moreover, the Inventory Specialist also has the responsibility to coordinate with store management when issues arise, train newly hired staff to be a valuable part of the workforce, and provide inventory reports and records to the administration.
Inventory leads and inventory specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Inventory Lead | Inventory Specialist | |
| Average salary | $42,812 | $35,752 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $60,000 | Between $25,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | East Windsor, NJ | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Accenture | Ensign Energy |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Technology |
There are a few differences between an inventory lead and an inventory specialist in terms of educational background:
| Inventory Lead | Inventory Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | - |
Here are the differences between inventory leads' and inventory specialists' demographics:
| Inventory Lead | Inventory Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.3% Female, 33.7% | Male, 58.9% Female, 41.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 6% |