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Purchase analyst vs planning analyst

The differences between purchase analysts and planning analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a purchase analyst and a planning analyst. Additionally, a planning analyst has an average salary of $68,137, which is higher than the $64,581 average annual salary of a purchase analyst.

The top three skills for a purchase analyst include purchase orders, supplier performance and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a planning analyst are project management, customer service, and data analysis.

Purchase analyst vs planning analyst overview

Purchase AnalystPlanning Analyst
Yearly salary$64,581$68,137
Hourly rate$31.05$32.76
Growth rate11%11%
Number of jobs88,54292,380
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

What does a purchase analyst do?

A purchase analyst is responsible for looking at the market outlook and determining what and when to buy when ordering supplies. They are responsible for making an investment in a product or technology, and contracting with vendors. You have varied duties and responsibilities that include researching product prices and comparisons, determining price history and cost-effectiveness, and providing leadership for logistics, resource management decisions, and sourcing. You will also be responsible for purchasing equipment from suppliers and working closely with leadership to develop sourcing strategies.

What does a planning analyst do?

As a planning analyst, you will be responsible for designing and implementing a company's business and marketing strategies with the goal of driving profits and reducing costs. You will propose measures to enhance an organization's overall efficiency, and guide managers on ways to strengthen profit margins through risk awareness reduced costs, and increased revenues. Other duties include conducting risk analyses to identify areas of potential failure, maintaining the business continuity program, and handling internal and external corporate communications with the investment community and industry analysts.

Purchase analyst vs planning analyst salary

Purchase analysts and planning analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

Purchase AnalystPlanning Analyst
Average salary$64,581$68,137
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $98,000Between $49,000 And $93,000
Highest paying CityMilford, MAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateNew JerseyRhode Island
Best paying companyMPS HorticultureMeta
Best paying industryRetailAutomotive

Differences between purchase analyst and planning analyst education

There are a few differences between a purchase analyst and a planning analyst in terms of educational background:

Purchase AnalystPlanning Analyst
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Purchase analyst vs planning analyst demographics

Here are the differences between purchase analysts' and planning analysts' demographics:

Purchase AnalystPlanning Analyst
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 45.8% Female, 54.2%Male, 53.4% Female, 46.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 10.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 12.6% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between purchase analyst and planning analyst duties and responsibilities

Purchase analyst example responsibilities.

  • Transport purchases and contract and manage carriers (freight forwarders in order to arrange and manage the transportation of purchases.
  • Write RFI and RFP documents and manage the process for each.
  • Compile and manage the RFP excel database containing incumbent supplier pricing and alternative supplier pricing.
  • Manage purchasing data within proprietary applications and ERP systems with accuracy.
  • Manage and determine obsolete and/or slow moving inventory for all above mention commodities.
  • Manage factory activities for key commodities encompassing resource management in materials and production.
    • Show more

Planning analyst example responsibilities.

  • Manage 160 footwear SKUs across 3700 stores to ensure optimal inventory depths during peak time frames.
  • Reduce work in process inventory by use of KANBAN system which also lead to improve customer service.
  • Manage suppliers (KPI's) to deliver target cost, service and quality levels in each operating center.
  • Manage cross-functional team which successfully create a manual for ISO 9000 certification and develop a training program for new hires.
  • Lead monthly and quarterly EAC forecasting and consolidate forecasts in support of corporate financial reporting.
  • Prepare requests for quotes (RFQ) and requests for improvement (RFI) for distribution to existing and potential suppliers.
    • Show more

Purchase analyst vs planning analyst skills

Common purchase analyst skills
  • Purchase Orders, 13%
  • Supplier Performance, 11%
  • Continuous Improvement, 5%
  • ERP, 5%
  • Cost Analysis, 5%
  • Logistics, 4%
Common planning analyst skills
  • Project Management, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • Logistics, 6%
  • Strong Analytical, 5%
  • SQL, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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