Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between planner/buyers and senior planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a planner/buyer, becoming a senior planner takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior planner has an average salary of $73,327, which is higher than the $54,261 average annual salary of a planner/buyer.
The top three skills for a planner/buyer include supply chain, purchase orders and customer service. The most important skills for a senior planner are project management, customer service, and autocad.
| Planner/Buyer | Senior Planner | |
| Yearly salary | $54,261 | $73,327 |
| Hourly rate | $26.09 | $35.25 |
| Growth rate | -3% | 18% |
| Number of jobs | 33,452 | 14,351 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 48 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
The role of buyers/planners is to ensure that office materials and equipment are well-supplied within their organization. They decide and purchase the materials needed for use or resale by their organization. They are responsible for evaluating prospective suppliers based on their cost, product quality, and delivery times. They are also the ones who negotiate contracts specifying the payment terms, price, and delivery schedules. Most employers prefer their buyer to have earned a bachelor's degree with a major in operations management or business management.
A senior planner is responsible for administering business proposals and strategizing techniques for clients' specifications and requirements, ensuring high-quality deliverables and satisfaction. Depending on the project, senior planners coordinate with suppliers and third-party vendors for essential materials to support business operations. They also delegate tasks to the staff and create progress update reports to discuss with the client and the management. A senior planner should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on handling budgets and adhering to agreed timetables.
Planner/buyers and senior planners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Planner/Buyer | Senior Planner | |
| Average salary | $54,261 | $73,327 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $77,000 | Between $48,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | Billerica, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Edwards Lifesciences | PVH |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a planner/buyer and a senior planner in terms of educational background:
| Planner/Buyer | Senior Planner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between planner/buyers' and senior planners' demographics:
| Planner/Buyer | Senior Planner | |
| Average age | 48 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% | Male, 63.7% Female, 36.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 6.0% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 16% |