Purchasing administrator vs purchasing assistant

The differences between purchasing administrators and purchasing assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a purchasing administrator and a purchasing assistant. Additionally, a purchasing administrator has an average salary of $40,133, which is higher than the $38,331 average annual salary of a purchasing assistant.

The top three skills for a purchasing administrator include purchase orders, invoice and data entry. The most important skills for a purchasing assistant are purchase orders, purchase requisitions, and customer service.

Purchasing administrator vs purchasing assistant overview

	Purchasing Administrator	Purchasing Assistant
Yearly salary	$40,133	$38,331
Hourly rate	$19.29	$18.43
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	63,681	8,415
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

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 purchasing assistant do?

A purchasing assistant is responsible for obtaining raw materials and goods for a business or company. They primarily function to assist purchasing managers or supervisors by keeping records, maintaining inventory, reviewing purchase orders, and monitoring shipments and deliveries. Furthermore, a purchasing assistant may perform administrative support tasks ranging from arranging appointments and managing schedules, answering calls and inquiries, reaching out to vendors and suppliers, producing reports, and coordinating with various departments to ensure the smooth flow of products within the company.

Purchasing administrator vs purchasing assistant salary

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

	Purchasing Administrator	Purchasing Assistant
Average salary	$40,133	$38,331
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $53,000	Between $31,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	Sacramento, CA	Baltimore, MD
Highest paying state	Washington	Maryland
Best paying company	Rivian	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Health Care	Technology

Differences between purchasing administrator and purchasing assistant education

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

	Purchasing Administrator	Purchasing Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Purchasing administrator vs purchasing assistant demographics

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

	Purchasing Administrator	Purchasing Assistant
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 24.0% Female, 76.0%	Male, 22.8% Female, 77.2%
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, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between purchasing administrator and purchasing assistant 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.

Purchasing assistant example responsibilities.

Manage RFP process and play a key role in minimizing the cost of printing.
Schedule and manage new product trials, liaise with vendors, surgeons and specialty coordinators.
Manage activities of purchasing, production planning and scheduling, inventory management, warehousing and logistics.
Master point of service (POS) computer system for automate order taking.
Input of purchase orders into ERP system, order acknowledgments, follow-up, and expedition of orders.
Prepare purchase orders using MRP, inspect incoming shipments for quality, and attend press checks for production approval.

Purchasing administrator vs purchasing assistant skills

Common purchasing administrator skills

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

Common purchasing assistant skills

Purchase Orders, 30%
Purchase Requisitions, 18%
Customer Service, 11%
Data Entry, 8%
Logistics, 3%
POS, 2%

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Purchasing Administrator
Purchasing Administrator vs Purchasing Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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