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The differences between planning specialists and demand planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a planning specialist and a demand planner. Additionally, a demand planner has an average salary of $82,287, which is higher than the $69,170 average annual salary of a planning specialist.
The top three skills for a planning specialist include customer service, logistics and project management. The most important skills for a demand planner are supply chain, customer service, and logistics.
| Planning Specialist | Demand Planner | |
| Yearly salary | $69,170 | $82,287 |
| Hourly rate | $33.25 | $39.56 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 31,008 | 27,351 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A planning specialist is responsible for monitoring the project management procedures of an organization's operations, ensuring that the team meets budget goals and deadline deliverables. Planning specialists coordinate with suppliers and other third-party vendors for materials needed in the operations, as well as inspecting the efficiency and performance of equipment to prevent delays. They also manage the team's adherence to production schedule, task delegations, and output deliveries. A planning specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing progress reports and performing other related administrative duties.
A demand planner specializes in conducting research and analysis to develop forecast models that will help determine a supply chain's demands. They are also responsible for monitoring the inventory of products, maintaining knowledge and awareness on the latest trends, producing progress reports and presentations, establishing demand plans, and detecting any changes in the forecast, reporting them to management right away. Furthermore, as a demand planner, it is essential to coordinate with everyone in the team, all while adhering to the company's policies and standards.
Planning specialists and demand planners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Planning Specialist | Demand Planner | |
| Average salary | $69,170 | $82,287 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $97,000 | Between $61,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rockville, MD | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a planning specialist and a demand planner in terms of educational background:
| Planning Specialist | Demand Planner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between planning specialists' and demand planners' demographics:
| Planning Specialist | Demand Planner | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5% | Male, 56.5% Female, 43.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 11.3% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 11.1% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |