Materials planner vs materials supervisor

The differences between materials planners and materials supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a materials planner and a materials supervisor. Additionally, a materials supervisor has an average salary of $67,592, which is higher than the $58,467 average annual salary of a materials planner.

The top three skills for a materials planner include supply chain, MRP and purchase orders. The most important skills for a materials supervisor are continuous improvement, safety procedures, and logistics.

Materials planner vs materials supervisor overview

	Materials Planner	Materials Supervisor
Yearly salary	$58,467	$67,592
Hourly rate	$28.11	$32.50
Growth rate	-3%	6%
Number of jobs	23,019	61,634
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	45	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a materials planner do?

Usually working in a manufacturing setting, a materials planner's role is to manage the supply flow and inventory of materials. Their responsibilities revolve around liaising with vendors and other external agencies, processing purchase orders, monitoring the quality of supplies to ensure it is according to the standards, and coordinating with various teams to learn their needs. Furthermore, as a planner, it is essential to devise strategies to resolve any issues, all while adhering to the company's policies and standards.

What does a materials supervisor do?

The job of a materials supervisor is to oversee the shipping, receiving, handling, and warehousing of materials. You will supervise the transport of materials and ensure that the material needs of an organization are met. Typical job duties include overseeing the daily business operations of the group, ensuring best practices in safety, productivity, housekeeping. The supervisors ensure that attendance is being followed and monitoring routine operations in materials management, including logistics and planning. As a materials supervisor, you are also expected to mentor team members for professional and personal development.

Materials planner vs materials supervisor salary

Materials planners and materials supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Materials Planner	Materials Supervisor
Average salary	$58,467	$67,592
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $74,000	Between $51,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City	Oakland, CA	Elkhart, IN
Highest paying state	California	Wyoming
Best paying company	Apple	Mercy Corps
Best paying industry	Automotive	Manufacturing

Differences between materials planner and materials supervisor education

There are a few differences between a materials planner and a materials supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Materials Planner	Materials Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Stanford University

Materials planner vs materials supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between materials planners' and materials supervisors' demographics:

	Materials Planner	Materials Supervisor
Average age	45	46
Gender ratio	Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3%	Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 4.8% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	11%	6%

Differences between materials planner and materials supervisor duties and responsibilities

Materials planner example responsibilities.

Develop and implement purchasing and contract management, policies and procedures and manage ISO documents and improvements.
Determine material and component requirements base on the MRP system and ensure availability to support production schedules.
Monitor MRP forecasts, inventory, customer demand, production requirements, inventory transactions and reject material.
Create and maintain MRP classification codes in addition to reviewing BOM accuracy to ensure correct component identification, ordering and release.
Maintain and setup supplier pull systems (KANBAN).
Key team member in planning, training, implementation, and support of a new ERP system.

Materials supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage the inventory of electrical parts and component using KANBAN.
Manage a free BOM scrubber design to review manufacturer's current part lists.
Develop, implement, and manage logistics of outsource manufacturing operations to sister companies in Canada and Italy.
Establish procedures that manage critical factors such as moisture sensitivity, electrostatic discharge, storeroom temperature and FIFO inventory staging system.
Implement new inventory management system into MRP.
Implement OSHA forklift safety standards to ensure safe and efficient warehouse operations when unloading freight trucks.

Materials planner vs materials supervisor skills

Common materials planner skills

Supply Chain, 12%
MRP, 8%
Purchase Orders, 5%
Logistics, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
Material Planning, 5%

Common materials supervisor skills

Continuous Improvement, 6%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Logistics, 6%
Inventory Control, 6%
Shipping Receiving, 5%
MRP, 4%

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Materials Planner
Materials Planner vs Materials Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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