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The differences between material leads and project planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a material lead and a project planner. Additionally, a project planner has an average salary of $86,926, which is higher than the $86,429 average annual salary of a material lead.
The top three skills for a material lead include continuous improvement, logistics and materials management. The most important skills for a project planner are project management, project planning, and microsoft project.
| Material Lead | Project Planner | |
| Yearly salary | $86,429 | $86,926 |
| Hourly rate | $41.55 | $41.79 |
| Growth rate | -3% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 22,580 | 56,558 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
As a material lead, they must know record-keeping practices, automated system operations, safety/supervisory practices and principles, adopt skills in operating materials handling, automotive and office equipment, and in lifting heavy packages and objects. They are entitled to coordinate the activities of subordinates, design stockroom layout and oversee rearranging processes, examine incoming shipments for shortage or damage and correspond with the shipper to rectify and fill out appropriate documents and forms. They also need to review the complex work procedure to resolve question presentations by workers.
A project planner is responsible for determining project management procedures according to business requirements and client specifications. Project planners schedule deliverables of outputs for every milestone to ensure that the team follows the track of guidelines, adhering to the company policies and project plans. They write status reports, conduct cost expenses analysis, and strategize techniques in maximizing the team's productivity and efficiency. A project planner also identifies opportunities to improve project workloads and adjust procedures as necessary to meet the highest goals and objectives.
Material leads and project planners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Material Lead | Project Planner | |
| Average salary | $86,429 | $86,926 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $132,000 | Between $63,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Davis, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | California |
| Best paying company | Biogen | Novo Nordisk |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a material lead and a project planner in terms of educational background:
| Material Lead | Project Planner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between material leads' and project planners' demographics:
| Material Lead | Project Planner | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.9% Female, 26.1% | Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |