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Junior buyer/buyer vs purchaser

The differences between junior buyers/buyers and purchasers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a junior buyer/buyer and a purchaser. Additionally, a junior buyer/buyer has an average salary of $52,374, which is higher than the $50,031 average annual salary of a purchaser.

The top three skills for a junior buyer/buyer include purchase orders, MRP and ERP. The most important skills for a purchaser are purchase orders, FDA, and POS.

Junior buyer/buyer vs purchaser overview

Junior Buyer/BuyerPurchaser
Yearly salary$52,374$50,031
Hourly rate$25.18$24.05
Growth rate--
Number of jobs22,3706,852
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age4848
Years of experience66

What does a junior buyer/buyer do?

A junior buyer/buyer is in charge of purchasing supplies in adherence to company goals. Their responsibilities typically revolve around participating in meetings that discuss the kinds of products to procure, performing research and analysis to find the ideal vendors or suppliers, liaising and negotiating with external parties, maintaining invoices and records of all transactions, and producing progress reports. Furthermore, it is essential to monitor the shipment and deliveries of supplies, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Should there be any problems, it is necessary to coordinate with vendors right away.

What does a purchaser do?

A Purchaser is responsible for buying goods and services from distribution centers to sell to customers or other companies. They conduct data analysis and research current market trends to identify public demands and generate resources that would increase the company's revenues and profitability. They also ensure the adequacy of supply inventories for deliveries, respond to customers' inquiries and concerns, and recommend products according to their needs and budget requirements. A Purchaser must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in documenting purchase transactions and negotiating contracts with suppliers and vendors.

Junior buyer/buyer vs purchaser salary

Junior buyers/buyers and purchasers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Junior Buyer/BuyerPurchaser
Average salary$52,374$50,031
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $69,000Between $36,000 And $68,000
Highest paying CityJersey City, NJAtlantic City, NJ
Highest paying stateNew JerseyNew Jersey
Best paying companyAstronicsBarnes Group
Best paying industryFinanceTechnology

Differences between junior buyer/buyer and purchaser education

There are a few differences between a junior buyer/buyer and a purchaser in terms of educational background:

Junior Buyer/BuyerPurchaser
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Junior buyer/buyer vs purchaser demographics

Here are the differences between junior buyers/buyers' and purchasers' demographics:

Junior Buyer/BuyerPurchaser
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 29.8% Female, 70.2%Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between junior buyer/buyer and purchaser duties and responsibilities

Junior buyer/buyer example responsibilities.

  • Manage and purchase commodities ranging from foil packaging and corrugate packaging to numerous food ingredients.
  • Assure suppliers comply with safety and quality alignments within company standards and manage non-conformance reporting for logistics as per company policy.
  • Source through ERP system to accommodate qualify requirements put out by OEM sales force.
  • Maintain ISO compliance status by ensuring all documents, processes, forms follow ISO standards.
  • Assist in requesting RFQ's for procurement of components need for refinery project in Beaumont, TX.
  • Review, evaluate, and approve specifications for issuing and awarding bids to suppliers through RFQ process.
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Purchaser example responsibilities.

  • Purchase components for production; run daily production schedule; manage inventory of items; source alternative items for production
  • Work extensively with customers to identify business and project requirements through RFI's, RFP's, and RFQ's.
  • Handle RFQ (request for quotation) and the RFB (request for bid).
  • Insure day to day operations run smoothly.
  • Operate ERP system in factory and keep the data update.
  • Order parts & MRO items as needed for production workers.
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Junior buyer/buyer vs purchaser skills

Common junior buyer/buyer skills
  • Purchase Orders, 31%
  • MRP, 7%
  • ERP, 5%
  • Data Entry, 4%
  • Strong Analytical, 3%
  • JR, 3%
Common purchaser skills
  • Purchase Orders, 38%
  • FDA, 7%
  • POS, 6%
  • Commodities, 5%
  • Logistics, 4%
  • Expedite, 3%

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