What does a purchasing administrative assistant do?
Purchasing Administrative Assistants will require a high school diploma or GED, but an associate degree or higher is preferred, as well as three or more years in a purchasing role. This career will require skills in communication and negotiation, as well as a proven history of good supply management and the ability to create and administer task priority lists based on the needs of the respective company. Paying an average salary of $42K per year, but ranging between $37K and $49K, this career choice will demand the provision of support to the purchasing process and department staff, processing documents and materials and responding to inquiries, as well as maintaining information and inventories about vendors and sources.
Purchasing administrative assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real purchasing administrative assistant resumes:
- Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
- Prepare purchase orders, review requisitions, supply requests and MRP purchase reports.
- Assess and close A/P, A/R monthly.
- Support A/P by resolving invoice problems.
- Verify shipments and check into ERP system.
- Certify to internally audit group for ISO compliance.
- Cross reference product testing invoices and POs to verify correct pricing, etc.
- Work extensively in QuickBooks entering bills, receiving incoming orders and create purchase order reports.
- Utilize QuickBooks software to administer payroll, maintain customer files, and generate spreadsheet reports.
- Review RFQ's, compile material lists, perform comparative pricing to ensure optimal purchasing effectiveness.
- Monitor order status (early and late) and enter acknowledgements and quotes into visual ERP software.
- Review rescheduling messages report after each MRP run and expedite orders accordingly in support of assign buyers.
- Prepare (RFQ) request for quotation drawing files and material quotes for proposal bid to different government agencies and vendors.
- Maintain closed files for organizational efficiency and in support of ISO requirements.
- Coordinate with importation logistics to secure proper shipping lanes and delivery of product.
Purchasing administrative assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 33% of Purchasing Administrative Assistants are proficient in Purchase Orders, Data Entry, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Organizational skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Purchasing Administrative Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Purchase Orders, 33%
Maintained open purchase orders and prepared purchase requisitions and material releases for parts procurement on all emergency and non-emergency items.
- Data Entry, 9%
Maintained Administrative Assistant duties, including data entry and inventory control.
- Customer Service, 9%
Scheduled meetings, provided excellent customer service, maintained filing system, ordered kitchen/office supplies and sorted/distributed department mail.
- Provides Administrative Support, 4%
Manage Executive member of management schedule and provides administrative support to alternate management as well as clients.
- Office Equipment, 4%
Performed all daily office operations and maintained office equipment.
- Travel Arrangements, 3%
Provided administrative support to the Director of Purchasing by providing calendar management, travel arrangements, opened and distributed mail.
Common skills that a purchasing administrative assistant uses to do their job include "purchase orders," "data entry," and "customer service." You can find details on the most important purchasing administrative assistant responsibilities below.
Interpersonal skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a purchasing administrative assistant to have is interpersonal skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." Purchasing administrative assistants often use interpersonal skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "displayed strong work ethic and superior interpersonal, customer service and communication skills. "
Organizational skills. Many purchasing administrative assistant duties rely on organizational skills. "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently.," so a purchasing administrative assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways purchasing administrative assistant responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "administered online rfq's for all county departments, utilizing customer service, multi-tasking, organizational and reporting skills. "
Writing skills. purchasing administrative assistants are also known for writing skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to purchasing administrative assistant responsibilities, because "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." A purchasing administrative assistant resume example shows how writing skills is used in the workplace: "assist in writing work instructions for iso 9000. "
The three companies that hire the most purchasing administrative assistants are:
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Compare different purchasing administrative assistants
Purchasing administrative assistant vs. Administrative support
Administrative support specialists provide different types of governmental assistance. They carry out varied clerical duties in almost all industries. Most of these duties revolve around supervising and distributing information within an organization. This typically includes taking memos, answering phone calls, and managing, storing, and organizing files. They are also responsible for receiving and sending correspondence and greeting customers and clients. Some administrative support may be required to have vast professional knowledge as their duties are more specialized than the others.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between purchasing administrative assistants and administrative support. For instance, purchasing administrative assistant responsibilities require skills such as "vendor invoices," "place orders," "erp," and "delivery dates." Whereas a administrative support is skilled in "payroll," "phone calls," "patients," and "powerpoint." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Administrative supports earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $40,623. On the other hand, purchasing administrative assistants are paid more in the construction industry with an average salary of $41,993.The education levels that administrative supports earn slightly differ from purchasing administrative assistants. In particular, administrative supports are 3.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a purchasing administrative assistant. Additionally, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Purchasing administrative assistant vs. Administrative assistant & marketing assistant
An administrative assistant/marketing assistant is responsible for performing administrative duties to support the operations of the marketing department. Administrative assistants/marketing assistants join the marketing team in identifying business opportunities that would increase the company's sales and profitability, meeting customers' demands by analyzing the current industry trends. They also prepare partnership contracts, monitor the distribution of marketing materials, negotiate with suppliers and third-party vendors, schedule appointments and promotional events, and respond to customers' inquiries and concerns, escalating a high-level complaint to management for immediate resolution.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that purchasing administrative assistant responsibilities requires skills like "purchase orders," "data entry," "customer service," and "vendor invoices." But an administrative assistant & marketing assistant might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "powerpoint," "database management," "email blasts," and "facebook."
Administrative assistants & marketing assistants earn a higher average salary than purchasing administrative assistants. But administrative assistants & marketing assistants earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $47,233. Additionally, purchasing administrative assistants earn the highest salaries in the construction with average pay of $41,993 annually.In general, administrative assistants & marketing assistants achieve similar levels of education than purchasing administrative assistants. They're 2.1% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Purchasing administrative assistant vs. Administrative assistant/personal assistant
An Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant performs daily and time management tasks, meeting schedules, note-taking, and correspondence. Administrative Assistants answer and direct phone calls to the appropriate staff. They are in charge of ordering and purchasing office supply stocks. Their duties and responsibilities depend on the company and the industry they are working for. They serve as the point of contact for external stakeholders and staff. They must develop professionalism, inventory control, and administrative writing skills.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from purchasing administrative assistant resumes include skills like "purchase orders," "data entry," "customer service," and "provides administrative support," whereas an administrative assistant/personal assistant is more likely to list skills in "payroll," "scheduling appointments," "financial statements," and "front desk. "
Administrative assistants/personal assistants typically earn similar educational levels compared to purchasing administrative assistants. Specifically, they're 2.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Purchasing administrative assistant vs. Administrative staff
As the administrative staff, they primarily provide administrative and secretarial support for the department. Typically, they do report-writing, filing and scheduling, and payroll. They plan department weekly meetings, schedule conference calls, and work on solving administrative related concerns and issues. They do a complex task that involves multi-tasking from the preparation of department reports, analyzing data, and finding solutions. It is a requirement to be an experienced, collaborator, and trained cross-functional communicator. Moreover, other duties will include scheduling company-initiated activities, meetings, and events.
Types of purchasing administrative assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
