Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between materials specialists and inventory control clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a materials specialist has an average salary of $44,143, which is higher than the $35,634 average annual salary of an inventory control clerk.
The top three skills for a materials specialist include customer service, logistics and data entry. The most important skills for an inventory control clerk are inventory control, customer service, and data entry.
| Materials Specialist | Inventory Control Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $44,143 | $35,634 |
| Hourly rate | $21.22 | $17.13 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 38,001 | 254,804 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A materials specialist is responsible for researching efficient and high-quality materials for production and manufacturing processes, following the designs and specifications of the engineering team and design analysts. Materials specialists identify cost-reduction materials by coordinating with trusted suppliers and vendors and determine the suitability of these items in the supply chain. They conduct data and statistical analysis to develop strategic techniques that would minimize the company's expenditures and cost. A materials specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing expense reports and discuss findings to the senior management.
An inventory control clerk is responsible for managing the stock inventory, recording incoming and outgoing deliveries, and inspecting proper labeling before moving the products to the storage areas. Inventory control clerks resolve inventory discrepancies, checking and reviewing product details and reports from the warehouse software database. They also monitor shipment details, confirm orders, and process payments. An inventory control clerk must have excellent knowledge of data processing since this job requires them to perform various administrative and clerical tasks as needed to ensure the smooth operations within the department.
Materials specialists and inventory control clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Materials Specialist | Inventory Control Clerk | |
| Average salary | $44,143 | $35,634 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $79,000 | Between $29,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Diego, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Apple | BD |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a materials specialist and an inventory control clerk in terms of educational background:
| Materials Specialist | Inventory Control Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between materials specialists' and inventory control clerks' demographics:
| Materials Specialist | Inventory Control Clerk | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.4% Female, 35.6% | Male, 49.6% Female, 50.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |