Produce buyer vs procurement analyst

The differences between produce buyers and procurement analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a produce buyer, becoming a procurement analyst takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a procurement analyst has an average salary of $64,448, which is higher than the $55,778 average annual salary of a produce buyer.

The top three skills for a produce buyer include purchase orders, logistics and inventory control. The most important skills for a procurement analyst are purchase orders, supplier performance, and customer service.

Produce buyer vs procurement analyst overview

	Produce Buyer	Procurement Analyst
Yearly salary	$55,778	$64,448
Hourly rate	$26.82	$30.98
Growth rate	-	11%
Number of jobs	17,664	75,154
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	47	44
Years of experience	-	4

What does a produce buyer do?

Being a produce buyer requires commercial awareness, confidence, the ability to be a team player, interpersonal, math, and IT skills, as well as the ability to cope with high pressure. This position will demand negotiation and collaboration with produce suppliers in promoting, pricing, and advertising products. You will also be the primary contact between stores and suppliers, and also be responsible for maintaining supply quality through determining the best sources of produce.

What does a procurement analyst do?

Procurement analysts procure favorable contracts by acting as liaisons between suppliers and their employers. They are hired by organizations that rely on supply chain management to analyze and evaluate potential suppliers, prepare reports about monthly supply costs, and negotiate contracts. With good critical thinking skills, these procurement analysts who are also known as purchasing analysts, evaluate vendors and suppliers based on the speed of delivery, quality, and price. They use quantitative methods to support fact-based decision-making to become competitive and to ensure cost-efficiency and high quality of the products and services.

Produce buyer vs procurement analyst salary

Produce buyers and procurement analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Produce Buyer	Procurement Analyst
Average salary	$55,778	$64,448
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $77,000	Between $45,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Maryland
Best paying company	-	PayPal
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between produce buyer and procurement analyst education

There are a few differences between a produce buyer and a procurement analyst in terms of educational background:

	Produce Buyer	Procurement Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Northwestern University

Produce buyer vs procurement analyst demographics

Here are the differences between produce buyers' and procurement analysts' demographics:

	Produce Buyer	Procurement Analyst
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 77.3% Female, 22.7%	Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 6.6% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 11.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	15%	12%

Differences between produce buyer and procurement analyst duties and responsibilities

Produce buyer example responsibilities.

Analyze and manage goals for increasing sales, profit margins, turns, fill rate and manage logistics.
Manage open-to-buy to ensure continual flow of merchandise to stores and warehouses with careful attention to advertise events and promotions.
Coordinate with transportation department to ensure efficiency in logistics of transporting employees and products using company vehicles.
Manage open-to-buy to ensure continual flow of merchandise to stores and warehouses with careful attention to advertise events and promotions.
Track all incoming requests for quote (RFQ) from customers, sales managers, and outside sales representatives.
Review purchase requisitions and engineering specifications to determine which suppliers to RFQ.

Procurement analyst example responsibilities.

Manage SQL reporting database server that are used by procurement analyst and pull into SharePoint.
Lead a software implementation process and training program for company's ERP (Advantage/Sapphire) system.
Manage, negotiate and source MRO products and services, for building, machinery and grounds maintenance.
Perform reviews of select teams and programs to determine whether VBA and federal policies and guidelines are effectively implement and manage.
Prepare budget estimates base on the P6 schedule in accordance with NASA PPBE guidance.
Function with senior management on RFP and RFQ as well as periodically report detailed analysis of vendor responses.

Produce buyer vs procurement analyst skills

Common produce buyer skills

Purchase Orders, 12%
Logistics, 11%
Inventory Control, 10%
Quality Standards, 10%
Manage Inventory, 8%
Product Knowledge, 8%

Common procurement analyst skills

Purchase Orders, 9%
Supplier Performance, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Logistics, 4%
Strategic Sourcing, 4%
Data Analysis, 4%

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Produce Buyer vs Procurement Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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