Inventory planner vs planning supervisor

The differences between inventory planners and planning supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an inventory planner and a planning supervisor. Additionally, a planning supervisor has an average salary of $83,428, which is higher than the $65,504 average annual salary of an inventory planner.

The top three skills for an inventory planner include supply chain, purchase orders and logistics. The most important skills for a planning supervisor are continuous improvement, logistics, and MRP.

Inventory planner vs planning supervisor overview

	Inventory Planner	Planning Supervisor
Yearly salary	$65,504	$83,428
Hourly rate	$31.49	$40.11
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	37,034	18,018
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does an inventory planner do?

An inventory planner is an individual who is responsible for creating effective inventory plans and strategies to maximize profitability for an organization. Inventory planners are required to produce documents that detail the quantity specifications of the organization's product or equipment. They must maintain their files updated about the inventory by recording them into the organization's databases to avoid possible discrepancies. Inventory planners must also predict future inventory needs and producing plans for buying based on forecasts and sales data.

What does a planning supervisor do?

Planning supervisors are professionals who are responsible for coordinating the health and safety aspects of project design and the initial planning. These supervisors are required to ensure that designers cooperate and comply with their duties, especially in avoiding and reducing risks. They must prepare the health and safety plan before arrangements are made for appointing a principal contractor. Planning supervisors must also provide advice to their clients about the competence and allocation of resources by designers and all contractors.

Inventory planner vs planning supervisor salary

Inventory planners and planning supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Inventory Planner	Planning Supervisor
Average salary	$65,504	$83,428
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $93,000	Between $64,000 And $107,000
Highest paying City	San Bruno, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Entegris	FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies
Best paying industry	Technology	Energy

Differences between inventory planner and planning supervisor education

There are a few differences between an inventory planner and a planning supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Inventory Planner	Planning Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Inventory planner vs planning supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between inventory planners' and planning supervisors' demographics:

	Inventory Planner	Planning Supervisor
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 53.0% Female, 47.0%	Male, 64.6% Female, 35.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 7.1% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between inventory planner and planning supervisor duties and responsibilities

Inventory planner example responsibilities.

Develop process to manage import orders to manage time and inventory more effectively JDA E3 certify.
Participate in SIOP meeting and coordinate with all function teams and regional/global team to achieve corporate KPI.
Develop and implement purchasing and contract management, policies and procedures and manage ISO documents and improvements.
Review stock levels, imbalances and data integrity in JDA to ensure the supply plan is generating accurate information.
Handle complex monthly reconciliations and daily/weekly journal entries to ensure AR balance accuracy.
Facilitate communication channels between the sales groups and corporate logistics to drive improve demand forecast.

Planning supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage inventories of FDA fine chemicals, glass bottles, caps, labels, and shipping materials.
Develop and manage dual eligible program for Medicare and Medicaid recipients.
Prepare construction schedule in Primavera P6.
Develop expert knowledge in new ERP program, design and deliver training sessions, and develop ISO procedures.
Develop and implement appropriate measurement systems capable of assessing overall logistics performance, inventory turnover, and customer satisfaction.
Control sales orders / forecast vs. commit before and after loading into ERP system.

Inventory planner vs planning supervisor skills

Common inventory planner skills

Supply Chain, 12%
Purchase Orders, 9%
Logistics, 8%
Manage Inventory, 8%
Inventory Planning, 7%
Historical Data, 4%

Common planning supervisor skills

Continuous Improvement, 7%
Logistics, 6%
MRP, 5%
Material Planning, 5%
Production Planning, 4%
Strong Analytical, 4%

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Inventory Planner vs Planning Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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