Purchase analyst vs process analyst

The differences between purchase analysts and process 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 process analyst. Additionally, a process analyst has an average salary of $73,233, 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 process analyst are process improvement, project management, and customer service.

Purchase analyst vs process analyst overview

	Purchase Analyst	Process Analyst
Yearly salary	$64,581	$73,233
Hourly rate	$31.05	$35.21
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	88,542	123,238
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

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 process analyst do?

A process analyst is also known as an operations research analyst, who evaluates in detail the steps in producing products and making important decisions as well as providing recommendations on how to enhance them. They are IT specialists that analyze the business process and workflows to determine how they can be computerized and improved. Responsibilities include identifying problems and risks as well as engaging in problem resolution. Important skills to consider for applicants include being innovative thinkers and goal-oriented.

Purchase analyst vs process analyst salary

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

	Purchase Analyst	Process Analyst
Average salary	$64,581	$73,233
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $98,000	Between $49,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	Milford, MA	Santa Clara, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Connecticut
Best paying company	MPS Horticulture	Apple
Best paying industry	Retail	Finance

Differences between purchase analyst and process analyst education

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

	Purchase Analyst	Process Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Purchase analyst vs process analyst demographics

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

	Purchase Analyst	Process Analyst
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2%	Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2%
Race ratio	Black 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, 8.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 12.2% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between purchase analyst and process 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.

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Process analyst example responsibilities.

Lead the development and implementation of application and infrastructure solutions that are stable, operationally healthy, and supportable in production.
Develop and manage department SharePoint site to use as a collaborative document management tool.
Collaborate with project manager in tracking and managing project development process following RUP base SDLC methodologies.
Used Visio for process mapping to review operational procedures when determining areas of improvement.
Look at Java code to help debug it.
Test CRM platform through complex use of matrices to be able to segment a database for a more applicable personal contact.

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Purchase analyst vs process analyst skills

Common purchase analyst skills

Purchase Orders, 13%
Supplier Performance, 11%
Continuous Improvement, 5%
ERP, 5%
Cost Analysis, 5%
Logistics, 4%

Common process analyst skills

Process Improvement, 9%
Project Management, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Continuous Improvement, 5%
Sigma, 4%
Business Processes, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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