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The differences between procurement buyers and senior purchasing agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a procurement buyer and a senior purchasing agent. Additionally, a senior purchasing agent has an average salary of $73,386, which is higher than the $61,874 average annual salary of a procurement buyer.
The top three skills for a procurement buyer include purchase orders, supplier performance and logistics. The most important skills for a senior purchasing agent are purchase orders, project management, and supplier relationships.
| Procurement Buyer | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $61,874 | $73,386 |
| Hourly rate | $29.75 | $35.28 |
| Growth rate | - | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 16,674 | 43,833 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Procurement Buyers oversee the requisition of goods and services for the company. They receive purchase requisitions from employees or departments and contact possible vendors that can supply the items. They compare the price quotations of these vendors and choose the most cost-efficient option. Upon choosing, procurement buyers notify the vendor and proceed with the request. Procurement buyers are responsible for the receipt of goods from the suppliers. They check the deliveries and ensure that all orders are complete and in good condition. They also handle the receipts and consolidate these for processing of payment.
Senior Purchasing Agents are experienced employees in the company's purchasing department. They oversee the purchase requisitions of the employees. They validate requests, ensure that the requestors followed company guidelines, check the availability of the items with the chosen supplier, and forward the purchase order to the supplier. Upon fulfillment of the request, Senior Purchasing Agents check the deliveries, ensure that the items are complete and correct, forward the items to the requestor, and process the payment for the supplier. Senior Purchasing agents also prepare reports, spot trends in employee or department purchases, and create recommendations based on observations. They are also expected to form good working relationships with suppliers.
Procurement buyers and senior purchasing agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Procurement Buyer | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Average salary | $61,874 | $73,386 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $87,000 | Between $52,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Stockton, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | Invesco | Levi Strauss & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Energy |
There are a few differences between a procurement buyer and a senior purchasing agent in terms of educational background:
| Procurement Buyer | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between procurement buyers' and senior purchasing agents' demographics:
| Procurement Buyer | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.6% Female, 54.4% | Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |