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The differences between procurement supervisors and buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a procurement supervisor, becoming a buyer takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a procurement supervisor has an average salary of $72,602, which is higher than the $54,049 average annual salary of a buyer.
The top three skills for a procurement supervisor include logistics, purchase orders and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a buyer are purchase orders, customer service, and logistics.
| Procurement Supervisor | Buyer | |
| Yearly salary | $72,602 | $54,049 |
| Hourly rate | $34.90 | $25.99 |
| Growth rate | 11% | - |
| Number of jobs | 16,985 | 23,589 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 48 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
Procurement supervisors are professionals who supervise the activities and work of procurement personnel while participating in the implementation of goals and priorities for an organization's procurement activities and operations. These supervisors are required to conduct technical audits on logistics equipment and analyze logistics data to identify opportunities for improvement in performance and output. They must implement an inventory management system that will reduce inventory shortages while increasing turn rates. Procurement supervisors must also prepare purchase orders for goods and services to improve customer satisfaction.
A buyer's duties include product sourcing and comparing resources for the best product range that would suit the specific needs of the business. Buyers must have excellent communication and negotiation skills to evaluate items that most likely benefit the customer and improve the sales of daily operations with cost-efficient products. They also conduct extensive research for market and price trends while considering the highest quality standards. Buyers should also possess strong analytical skills to create purchase orders and statistical analysis.
Procurement supervisors and buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Procurement Supervisor | Buyer | |
| Average salary | $72,602 | $54,049 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $100,000 | Between $37,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | Everett, WA | Englewood, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Natera | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a procurement supervisor and a buyer in terms of educational background:
| Procurement Supervisor | Buyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between procurement supervisors' and buyers' demographics:
| Procurement Supervisor | Buyer | |
| Average age | 48 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.8% Female, 38.2% | Male, 43.9% Female, 56.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 15% |