Planner/scheduler vs inventory planner

The differences between planner/schedulers and inventory 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 planner/scheduler and an inventory planner. Additionally, a planner/scheduler has an average salary of $71,955, which is higher than the $65,504 average annual salary of an inventory planner.

The top three skills for a planner/scheduler include customer service, production schedules and MRP. The most important skills for an inventory planner are supply chain, purchase orders, and logistics.

Planner/scheduler vs inventory planner overview

	Planner/Scheduler	Inventory Planner
Yearly salary	$71,955	$65,504
Hourly rate	$34.59	$31.49
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	22,279	37,034
Job satisfaction	3	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does a planner/scheduler do?

The duties of a planner/scheduler depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In a manufacturing setting, their responsibilities revolve around creating different schedules for projects, production, releases, contracts, and other deliverables, ensuring everyone's adherence by regular reminders and inspections. Typically, they are also responsible for devising strategies for optimizing operations, coordinating with other skilled professionals to develop controls, maintaining records of all schedules and other necessary documentation, and implementing the company's policies and regulations.

What does an inventory planner do?

An inventory planner is an individual who is responsible for creating effective inventory plans and strategies to maximize profitability for an organization. Inventory planners are required to produce documents that detail the quantity specifications of the organization's product or equipment. They must maintain their files updated about the inventory by recording them into the organization's databases to avoid possible discrepancies. Inventory planners must also predict future inventory needs and producing plans for buying based on forecasts and sales data.

Planner/scheduler vs inventory planner salary

Planner/schedulers and inventory planners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Planner/Scheduler	Inventory Planner
Average salary	$71,955	$65,504
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $105,000	Between $45,000 And $93,000
Highest paying City	Alameda, CA	San Bruno, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	BP America Inc	Entegris
Best paying industry	Energy	Technology

Differences between planner/scheduler and inventory planner education

There are a few differences between a planner/scheduler and an inventory planner in terms of educational background:

	Planner/Scheduler	Inventory Planner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Planner/scheduler vs inventory planner demographics

Here are the differences between planner/schedulers' and inventory planners' demographics:

	Planner/Scheduler	Inventory Planner
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7%	Male, 53.0% Female, 47.0%
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, 9.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 7.1% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between planner/scheduler and inventory planner duties and responsibilities

Planner/scheduler example responsibilities.

Review maintenance backlog and identify work to be accomplish along with PMs and assist in establishing priorities.
Design, implement and manage MFCY J2's USG, DOD, Interagency and IC external engagement strategy.
Coordinate and manage high visibility and important customer BOM changes.
Act as interface between sales/project managers, engineering, manufacturing operations, purchasing and inventory control / logistics.
Conduct plant wide safety training per OSHA.
Create detail WBS structures and task charge numbers assign budgets.

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Inventory planner example responsibilities.

Develop process to manage import orders to manage time and inventory more effectively JDA E3 certify.
Participate in SIOP meeting and coordinate with all function teams and regional/global team to achieve corporate KPI.
Develop and implement purchasing and contract management, policies and procedures and manage ISO documents and improvements.
Review stock levels, imbalances and data integrity in JDA to ensure the supply plan is generating accurate information.
Handle complex monthly reconciliations and daily/weekly journal entries to ensure AR balance accuracy.
Facilitate communication channels between the sales groups and corporate logistics to drive improve demand forecast.

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Planner/scheduler vs inventory planner skills

Common planner/scheduler skills

Customer Service, 9%
Production Schedules, 5%
MRP, 5%
Preventive Maintenance, 4%
CMMS, 4%
Logistics, 4%

Common inventory planner skills

Supply Chain, 12%
Purchase Orders, 9%
Logistics, 8%
Manage Inventory, 8%
Inventory Planning, 7%
Historical Data, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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