Purchasing agent vs director of purchasing

The differences between purchasing agents and directors of purchasing 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 agent and a director of purchasing. Additionally, a director of purchasing has an average salary of $106,945, which is higher than the $51,950 average annual salary of a purchasing agent.

The top three skills for a purchasing agent include purchase orders, customer service and logistics. The most important skills for a director of purchasing are supply chain, purchase orders, and product development.

Purchasing agent vs director of purchasing overview

	Purchasing Agent	Director Of Purchasing
Yearly salary	$51,950	$106,945
Hourly rate	$24.98	$51.42
Growth rate	-	-6%
Number of jobs	45,856	17,847
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	48	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a purchasing agent do?

A purchasing agent's general task is keeping purchase records and making sure that there won't be any discrepancies with the handling of orders. The purchasing agent should be responsible for the order processing and payment collection. Purchasing agents should also be proficient in interpreting and evaluating data, researching on best marketing sources and alternatives, issuing required documentation for suppliers, as well as managing customer queries as needed. Being a purchasing agent requires critical-thinking skills in assessing concerns and providing solutions should there be any possible negotiation conflicts.

What does a director of purchasing do?

A director of purchasing oversees the procedures related to buying resources and supplies, directing operations from planning to execution while adhering to standards and company policies. They primarily perform research and assessments to understand project needs in terms of price, quality, and delivery time. They also identify ideal suppliers, negotiate deals, and build positive business relationships. Additionally, a director of purchasing has the authority to make significant decisions, delegate responsibilities among staff, oversee employment procedures within the department, and solve issues and concerns when any arise.

Purchasing agent vs director of purchasing salary

Purchasing agents and directors of purchasing have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchasing Agent	Director Of Purchasing
Average salary	$51,950	$106,945
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $72,000	Between $68,000 And $166,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Maryland	Washington
Best paying company	Abiomed	Rivian
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between purchasing agent and director of purchasing education

There are a few differences between a purchasing agent and a director of purchasing in terms of educational background:

	Purchasing Agent	Director Of Purchasing
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Purchasing agent vs director of purchasing demographics

Here are the differences between purchasing agents' and directors of purchasing' demographics:

	Purchasing Agent	Director Of Purchasing
Average age	48	47
Gender ratio	Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5%	Male, 75.1% Female, 24.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.5% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	7%	11%

Differences between purchasing agent and director of purchasing duties and responsibilities

Purchasing agent example responsibilities.

Reorganize MRO to manage inventory more efficiently.
Utilize MaCola ERP system to process and manage purchase requisitions and purchase orders in coordination with manufacturing forecast.
Process purchase orders from electronically generate RFQ'S.
Develop programs with suppliers to ensure that commodities meet engineering and quality specifications while maintaining on-time delivery.
Prepare purchase orders, RFP's and RFB's, advertise solicitations, review responses and approve contract acceptance.
Send out RFQ's and award orders to the best fit and price vendor to ensure manufacturing meets critical due dates.

Director of purchasing example responsibilities.

Manage all aspects of the RFQ process, contracts, cost and rebate negotiations, and awarding of business.
Manage out-bound logistics services and third-party logistics providers to expand the range of commodities need to support automobile and aerospace manufacturing.
Develop standards and implement procedures for materials planning, product acquisition, inventory control, material distribution and logistics management.
Implement cost controls using commodity segmentation, vendor KPI's and cost justification base on key market indicators.
Monitor KPI indicators such as inventory turns, supplier on time delivery, inventory cycle count accuracy, and PPV.
Develop RFP (request for proposal) analysis, negotiation strategy, contract drafting and agreement execution plans on all contracts.

Purchasing agent vs director of purchasing skills

Common purchasing agent skills

Purchase Orders, 30%
Customer Service, 12%
Logistics, 5%
Inventory Control, 4%
MRP, 3%
Cost Savings, 3%

Common director of purchasing skills

Supply Chain, 18%
Purchase Orders, 9%
Product Development, 7%
Vendor Relations, 6%
Logistics, 5%
Cost Savings, 4%

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Purchasing Agent
Purchasing Agent vs Director Of Purchasing

Updated January 8, 2025

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