Purchasing administrator vs department administrator

The differences between purchasing administrators and department administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a purchasing administrator, becoming a department administrator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a department administrator has an average salary of $49,768, which is higher than the $40,133 average annual salary of a purchasing administrator.

The top three skills for a purchasing administrator include purchase orders, invoice and data entry. The most important skills for a department administrator are patient care, patients, and financial reports.

Purchasing administrator vs department administrator overview

	Purchasing Administrator	Department Administrator
Yearly salary	$40,133	$49,768
Hourly rate	$19.29	$23.93
Growth rate	-8%	5%
Number of jobs	63,681	84,441
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	48	43
Years of experience	6	2

What does a purchasing administrator do?

A purchasing administrator is primarily in charge of overseeing a company's purchasing procedures. As a purchasing administrator, it is their duty to monitor the company's inventory of supplies, gather and analyze purchase requests, and process purchase orders, resolving issues should there be any. They must also negotiate with vendors and suppliers, building positive relationships with them. Furthermore, as a purchasing administrator, it is essential to maintain records of all transactions, producing progress reports regularly for a smooth and efficient workflow.

What does a department administrator do?

Department administrators are professionals who are responsible for performing administrative and clerical tasks for a specific department within an organization. These administrators are required to prepare financial statements for clients while evaluating revisions through feedback with stakeholders. They must work with the human resources department to recruit and identify workers for retraining and skill upgrades. Department administrators must also develop and streamline departmental policies and processes so that they can ensure efficiency, productivity, and accountability.

Purchasing administrator vs department administrator salary

Purchasing administrators and department administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchasing Administrator	Department Administrator
Average salary	$40,133	$49,768
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $53,000	Between $34,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	Sacramento, CA	South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	Rivian	MacArthur Foundation
Best paying industry	Health Care	Energy

Differences between purchasing administrator and department administrator education

There are a few differences between a purchasing administrator and a department administrator in terms of educational background:

	Purchasing Administrator	Department Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	California State University - Bakersfield

Purchasing administrator vs department administrator demographics

Here are the differences between purchasing administrators' and department administrators' demographics:

	Purchasing Administrator	Department Administrator
Average age	48	43
Gender ratio	Male, 24.0% Female, 76.0%	Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	7%	9%

Differences between purchasing administrator and department administrator duties and responsibilities

Purchasing administrator example 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.
Administer the ISO 9001 and vendor performance evaluation process.
Maintain and update supplier master information in the ERP system.

Department administrator example responsibilities.

Manage calendars, correspondence, logs, reports and maintain documentation in Prolog.
Lead implementation of local area network and upgrade of scheduling, billing and A/R software.
Manage patient records ensuring confidentiality and compliance with all HIPAA regulations.
Initiate and manage the implementation of facilities management oversight of external properties.
Direct Medicaid health plan management division activities (manage care program operations, quality improvement, and contract administration).
Verify vendor quotes and resolve invoice discrepancies.

Purchasing administrator vs department administrator skills

Common purchasing administrator skills

Purchase Orders, 33%
Invoice, 10%
Data Entry, 10%
ERP, 4%
Office Equipment, 2%
Credit Card, 2%

Common department administrator skills

Patient Care, 10%
Patients, 10%
Financial Reports, 7%
Human Resources, 6%
Payroll, 6%
Departmental Policies, 5%

Purchasing Administrator vs. similar jobs

Purchasing Administrator related careers

Purchasing Administrator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Business and Financial Industry
Purchasing Administrator
Purchasing Administrator vs Department Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs