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.
Purchasing administrator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real purchasing administrator resumes:
- 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.
- Review RFQ proposals and negotiate contracts within scope of authority.
- Develop and implement work instructions in compliance with ISO standards.
- Update and maintain POs upon acquisition and verification of client signature.
- Receive RMA numbers and reroute of material not passing of inspection.
- Issue RFQ's in order to gain vendor pricing proposal information.
- Access and update multiple ERP, sales and order-tracking applications and databases.
- Run MRP weekly to procure materials, equipment, and products for government and commercial programs.
- Process purchase requests from internal customers including the NPI team and communicate POs to the respective suppliers.
- Issue request for quote and purchase orders for MRO non-production items including parts and tooling crib stock.
Purchasing administrator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 33% of Purchasing Administrators are proficient in Purchase Orders, Invoice, and Data Entry. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Organizational skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Purchasing Administrators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Purchase Orders, 33%
Review and authorize purchase orders within assigned limits for the purpose of facilitating on-site ability to acquire required supplies and/or equipment.
- Invoice, 10%
Provide internal and external customer support related to invoice resolution and deliveries.
- Data Entry, 10%
Trained administrator team on macro data entry improving overall department efficiency.
- ERP, 4%
Accessed and updated multiple ERP, sales and order-tracking applications and databases.
- Office Equipment, 2%
Negotiated pricing and provide input to contracts for office equipment, furniture and maintenance agreements.
- Credit Card, 2%
Monitored and ensured compliance with state regulations in administering credit card accounts and spending limits.
Most purchasing administrators use their skills in "purchase orders," "invoice," and "data entry" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential purchasing administrator responsibilities here:
Interpersonal skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a purchasing administrator to have is interpersonal skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." Purchasing administrators often use interpersonal skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "achieved annual negotiated cost savings of $60k for routinely purchased items by using interpersonal skills to build relationships with vendors. "
Organizational skills. Many purchasing administrator 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 administrator will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways purchasing administrator responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "create organizational protocols and maintain departmental procedures that result in a 13.5% purchase order savings. "
Writing skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of purchasing administrators is writing skills. This skill is critical to many everyday purchasing administrator duties, as "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "assisted managers with writing purchase orders, buying merchandise, and managing inventory. "
The three companies that hire the most purchasing administrators are:
- Indiana State Police5 purchasing administrators jobs
- Middlesex School5 purchasing administrators jobs
- RWJBarnabas Health3 purchasing administrators jobs
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Compare different purchasing administrators
Purchasing administrator vs. Buyer
A buyer's duties include product sourcing and comparing resources for the best product range that would suit the specific needs of the business. Buyers must have excellent communication and negotiation skills to evaluate items that most likely benefit the customer and improve the sales of daily operations with cost-efficient products. They also conduct extensive research for market and price trends while considering the highest quality standards. Buyers should also possess strong analytical skills to create purchase orders and statistical analysis.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, purchasing administrator responsibilities require skills like "invoice," "data entry," "office equipment," and "credit card." Meanwhile a typical buyer has skills in areas such as "customer service," "logistics," "supplier performance," and "commodities." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Buyers tend to make the most money working in the automotive industry, where they earn an average salary of $59,735. In contrast, purchasing administrators make the biggest average salary, $46,147, in the health care industry.On average, buyers reach similar levels of education than purchasing administrators. Buyers are 2.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Purchasing administrator vs. Planner/buyer
The role of buyers/planners is to ensure that office materials and equipment are well-supplied within their organization. They decide and purchase the materials needed for use or resale by their organization. They are responsible for evaluating prospective suppliers based on their cost, product quality, and delivery times. They are also the ones who negotiate contracts specifying the payment terms, price, and delivery schedules. Most employers prefer their buyer to have earned a bachelor's degree with a major in operations management or business management.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that purchasing administrator responsibilities requires skills like "invoice," "data entry," "office equipment," and "credit card." But a planner/buyer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "supply chain," "customer service," "logistics," and "production schedules."
On average, planner/buyers earn a higher salary than purchasing administrators. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, planner/buyers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $62,806. Whereas purchasing administrators have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $46,147.In general, planner/buyers achieve similar levels of education than purchasing administrators. They're 3.3% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Purchasing administrator vs. Associate buyer
An Associate Buyer maintains and keeps records of the inventory and disburses the different materials as required by the departments or personnel. The Associate Buyer reports to the Buyer or Senior Buyer.
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 administrator resumes include skills like "invoice," "data entry," "office equipment," and "credit card," whereas an associate buyer is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "math," "logistics," and "market trends. "
Associate buyers earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $52,342. Purchasing administrators earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $46,147.When it comes to education, associate buyers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to purchasing administrators. In fact, they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Purchasing administrator vs. Procurement agent
A procurement agent develops profitable measures to save the client money and ensure the quality of goods supplied. Procurement agents obtain the purchased items through suppliers, monitor them, and expedite the orders. They oversee the activities and performance of the suppliers for compliance. Their duties include the verification of item receipts, resolving shipment-related problems, and authorizing purchase payments through documentation. The necessary skills for this job include being accomplished, decisive, and strong communication skills.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between purchasing administrators and procurement agents, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a purchasing administrator might have more use for skills like "invoice," "data entry," "office equipment," and "credit card." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of procurement agents require skills like "supply chain," "supplier performance," "customer service," and "project management. "
Procurement agents enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $76,921. For comparison, purchasing administrators earn the highest salary in the health care industry.In general, procurement agents hold higher degree levels compared to purchasing administrators. Procurement agents are 7.6% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of purchasing administrator
Updated January 8, 2025
