Purchaser vs senior contract administrator/contract administrator

The differences between purchasers and senior contract administrators/contract administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a purchaser and a senior contract administrator/contract administrator. Additionally, a senior contract administrator/contract administrator has an average salary of $65,579, which is higher than the $50,031 average annual salary of a purchaser.

The top three skills for a purchaser include purchase orders, FDA and POS. The most important skills for a senior contract administrator/contract administrator are contract administration, proposal preparation, and contract management.

Purchaser vs senior contract administrator/contract administrator overview

	Purchaser	Senior Contract Administrator/Contract Administrator
Yearly salary	$50,031	$65,579
Hourly rate	$24.05	$31.53
Growth rate	-	-6%
Number of jobs	6,852	61,918
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

Purchaser vs senior contract administrator/contract administrator salary

Purchasers and senior contract administrators/contract administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchaser	Senior Contract Administrator/Contract Administrator
Average salary	$50,031	$65,579
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $68,000	Between $41,000 And $102,000
Highest paying City	Atlantic City, NJ	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Virginia
Best paying company	Barnes Group	Urban Institute
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between purchaser and senior contract administrator/contract administrator education

There are a few differences between a purchaser and a senior contract administrator/contract administrator in terms of educational background:

	Purchaser	Senior Contract Administrator/Contract Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Purchaser vs senior contract administrator/contract administrator demographics

Here are the differences between purchasers' and senior contract administrators/contract administrators' demographics:

	Purchaser	Senior Contract Administrator/Contract Administrator
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8%	Male, 49.6% Female, 50.4%
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, 8.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between purchaser and senior contract administrator/contract administrator duties and responsibilities

Purchaser example responsibilities.

Purchase components for production; run daily production schedule; manage inventory of items; source alternative items for production
Work extensively with customers to identify business and project requirements through RFI's, RFP's, and RFQ's.
Handle RFQ (request for quotation) and the RFB (request for bid).
Insure day to day operations run smoothly.
Operate ERP system in factory and keep the data update.
Order parts & MRO items as needed for production workers.

Senior contract administrator/contract administrator example responsibilities.

Manage end to end distribute and mainframe testing activities in a java, PowerBuilder and XML environment for various projects.
Manage contract performance, perform RFP reviews and coordinate proposal development with various program managers.
Process purchase orders and subcontracts, including managing insurance requirement compliance and certify payroll documentation.
Issue and administer delivery orders under negotiate IDIQ and also for standalone subcontract agreements.
Issue orders against CISCO IDIQ contract.
Maintain files on all GSA vehicles utilize with the AOR.

Purchaser vs senior contract administrator/contract administrator skills

Common purchaser skills

Purchase Orders, 38%
FDA, 7%
POS, 6%
Commodities, 5%
Logistics, 4%
Expedite, 3%

Common senior contract administrator/contract administrator skills

Contract Administration, 10%
Proposal Preparation, 7%
Contract Management, 6%
Contract Terms, 5%
Non-Disclosure Agreements, 4%
Government Regulations, 4%

Purchaser vs. similar jobs

Purchaser related careers

Purchaser related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Business and Financial Industry
Purchaser
Purchaser vs Senior Contract Administrator/Contract Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs