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What is a purchasing administrator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

Have you fancied yourself working in a high-stakes trading firm? If yes, then Procurement administrators might be the right job for you. Your prime responsibilities will be to buy in goods and services that your institution needs. You may need to purchase office supplies or raw materials for production, cleaning, training, or advisory services.

You may also have to research new vendors and products, using the web, phone, and sometimes attending trade fairs to select product ranges, present new ideas to managers, and compare prices from several suppliers. As a procurement administrator, you could earn as high as $56,100 a year.

ScorePurchasing AdministratorUS Average
Salary
3.1

Avg. Salary $40,133

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.9

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.3
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%

Asian 7.85%

Black or African American 9.09%

Hispanic or Latino 12.46%

Unknown 4.41%

White 65.41%

Gender

female 76.00%

male 24.00%

Age - 49
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49
Stress level
7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.9

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Purchasing administrator career paths

Key steps to become a purchasing administrator

  1. Explore purchasing administrator education requirements

    Most common purchasing administrator degrees

    Bachelor's

    57.2 %

    Associate

    23.6 %

    High School Diploma

    8.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific purchasing administrator skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Purchase Orders33.00%
    Invoice10.02%
    Data Entry9.87%
    ERP3.72%
    Office Equipment2.48%
  3. Complete relevant purchasing administrator training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New purchasing administrators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a purchasing administrator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real purchasing administrator resumes.
  4. Research purchasing administrator duties and responsibilities

    • Manage the RFP preparation and analysis, cost negotiations, and vendor performance management.
    • Manage logistics and materials receive for appropriate quantities, timeliness and accuracy to complete project project.
    • Resolve RMA s on all engineering material.
    • Schedule product delivery against customer needs and MRP.
  5. Prepare your purchasing administrator resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your purchasing administrator resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a purchasing administrator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable purchasing administrator resume templates

    Build a professional purchasing administrator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your purchasing administrator resume.
    Purchasing Administrator Resume
    Purchasing Administrator Resume
    Purchasing Administrator Resume
    Purchasing Administrator Resume
    Purchasing Administrator Resume
    Purchasing Administrator Resume
    Purchasing Administrator Resume
    Purchasing Administrator Resume
    Purchasing Administrator Resume
  6. Apply for purchasing administrator jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a purchasing administrator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first purchasing administrator job

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Average purchasing administrator salary

The average purchasing administrator salary in the United States is $40,133 per year or $19 per hour. Purchasing administrator salaries range between $30,000 and $53,000 per year.

Average purchasing administrator salary
$40,133 Yearly
$19.29 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do purchasing administrators rate their job?

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Purchasing administrator reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

Have a direct impact of the company bottom targets.


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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Pros

To be involved in negotiations


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A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2019
Pros

I learned all that I knew by doing. I had no college just hands on by day to day interaction with vendors and co workers.

Cons

In most cases I'm finding you need a college degree to do what I did without it. I know there is a company out there that would train me. I could be an asset if given a chance.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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