Material scheduler vs purchasing agent

The differences between material schedulers and purchasing agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a material scheduler, becoming a purchasing agent takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a purchasing agent has an average salary of $51,950, which is higher than the $44,248 average annual salary of a material scheduler.

The top three skills for a material scheduler include MRP, production schedules and delivery dates. The most important skills for a purchasing agent are purchase orders, customer service, and logistics.

Material scheduler vs purchasing agent overview

	Material Scheduler	Purchasing Agent
Yearly salary	$44,248	$51,950
Hourly rate	$21.27	$24.98
Growth rate	-3%	-
Number of jobs	29,177	45,856
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	45	48
Years of experience	2	6

Material scheduler vs purchasing agent salary

Material schedulers and purchasing agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Material Scheduler	Purchasing Agent
Average salary	$44,248	$51,950
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $62,000	Between $37,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	Maryland
Best paying company	-	Abiomed
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between material scheduler and purchasing agent education

There are a few differences between a material scheduler and a purchasing agent in terms of educational background:

	Material Scheduler	Purchasing Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	University of Pennsylvania

Material scheduler vs purchasing agent demographics

Here are the differences between material schedulers' and purchasing agents' demographics:

	Material Scheduler	Purchasing Agent
Average age	45	48
Gender ratio	Male, 52.5% Female, 47.5%	Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 8.4% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	11%	7%

Differences between material scheduler and purchasing agent duties and responsibilities

Material scheduler example responsibilities.

Develop and implement purchasing and contract management, policies and procedures and manage ISO documents and improvements.
Negotiate with logistics and customs agencies to expedite parts from overseas sources.
Coordinate normal logistics routings and arrange emergency shipments when necessary.
Coordinate and incorporate into the IMS any engineering design refinements or rework efforts incur during product development.
Develop manufacturing procedures in accordance with ISO standards.
Assist with implementation and troubleshooting of BAAN production scheduling system.

Purchasing agent example responsibilities.

Reorganize MRO to manage inventory more efficiently.
Utilize MaCola ERP system to process and manage purchase requisitions and purchase orders in coordination with manufacturing forecast.
Process purchase orders from electronically generate RFQ'S.
Develop programs with suppliers to ensure that commodities meet engineering and quality specifications while maintaining on-time delivery.
Prepare purchase orders, RFP's and RFB's, advertise solicitations, review responses and approve contract acceptance.
Send out RFQ's and award orders to the best fit and price vendor to ensure manufacturing meets critical due dates.

Material scheduler vs purchasing agent skills

Common material scheduler skills

MRP, 12%
Production Schedules, 10%
Delivery Dates, 9%
Purchase Orders, 8%
Material Availability, 8%
Production Planning, 6%

Common purchasing agent skills

Purchase Orders, 30%
Customer Service, 12%
Logistics, 5%
Inventory Control, 4%
MRP, 3%
Cost Savings, 3%