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The differences between logistics support specialists and supply chain planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a logistics support specialist and a supply chain planner. Additionally, a supply chain planner has an average salary of $80,668, which is higher than the $35,961 average annual salary of a logistics support specialist.
The top three skills for a logistics support specialist include logistics support, test equipment and technical manuals. The most important skills for a supply chain planner are supply chain, customer service, and supply chain planning.
| Logistics Support Specialist | Supply Chain Planner | |
| Yearly salary | $35,961 | $80,668 |
| Hourly rate | $17.29 | $38.78 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 104,890 | 36,145 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A logistics support specialist liaises with clients and vendors on behalf of the company, ensuring a clear and active communication line for a smooth workflow. Moreover, as a logistics support specialist, they must track the products from pick-up through delivery, maintain documents, research new business and client opportunities, identify the strengths and weaknesses of current procedures, and develop strategies to optimize operations. They may also communicate with clients, answer calls or correspondence, and address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently.
The job of supply chain planners, or logisticians, is to plan, develop, and schedule project management tools in support of an organization's operations. They are responsible for managing and monitoring inventories, forecasting production and sales levels, and tracking response time and delivery performance. Other duties include analyzing the levels of finished products, developing and monitoring production plans, and generating reports. Supply chain planners are also responsible for supervising other team members and ensuring that customer service best practices are followed.
Logistics support specialists and supply chain planners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Logistics Support Specialist | Supply Chain Planner | |
| Average salary | $35,961 | $80,668 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $46,000 | Between $58,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | California |
| Best paying company | DeWitt LLP Law Firm | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a logistics support specialist and a supply chain planner in terms of educational background:
| Logistics Support Specialist | Supply Chain Planner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between logistics support specialists' and supply chain planners' demographics:
| Logistics Support Specialist | Supply Chain Planner | |
| Average age | 41 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4% | Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 10.2% White, 50.1% 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 | 9% | 10% |