Purchasing agent vs senior purchasing agent

The differences between purchasing agents and senior purchasing agents 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 senior purchasing agent. Additionally, a senior purchasing agent has an average salary of $73,386, 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 senior purchasing agent are purchase orders, project management, and supplier relationships.

Purchasing agent vs senior purchasing agent overview

	Purchasing Agent	Senior Purchasing Agent
Yearly salary	$51,950	$73,386
Hourly rate	$24.98	$35.28
Growth rate	-	-6%
Number of jobs	45,856	43,833
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	48	48
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 senior purchasing agent do?

Senior Purchasing Agents are experienced employees in the company's purchasing department. They oversee the purchase requisitions of the employees. They validate requests, ensure that the requestors followed company guidelines, check the availability of the items with the chosen supplier, and forward the purchase order to the supplier. Upon fulfillment of the request, Senior Purchasing Agents check the deliveries, ensure that the items are complete and correct, forward the items to the requestor, and process the payment for the supplier. Senior Purchasing agents also prepare reports, spot trends in employee or department purchases, and create recommendations based on observations. They are also expected to form good working relationships with suppliers.

Purchasing agent vs senior purchasing agent salary

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

	Purchasing Agent	Senior Purchasing Agent
Average salary	$51,950	$73,386
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $72,000	Between $52,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Maryland	New York
Best paying company	Abiomed	Levi Strauss & Co.
Best paying industry	Technology	Energy

Differences between purchasing agent and senior purchasing agent education

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

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

Purchasing agent vs senior purchasing agent demographics

Here are the differences between purchasing agents' and senior purchasing agents' demographics:

	Purchasing Agent	Senior Purchasing Agent
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5%	Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3%
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, 8.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between purchasing agent and senior purchasing agent 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.

Senior purchasing agent example responsibilities.

Manage patterns for older, obsolete OEM part outsource production to locally foundries.
Interact within an ERP system environment and manage various reporting tools to support operations and control the flow of information.
Manage subcontracts activity including RFQ analysis, major negotiations and construction of complex subcontracting orders and milestones.
Provide management for warehousing, transportation, documentation requirements, cost analysis, third-party logistics, and reverse logistics.
Help create new purchasing procurement program base on customer forecasting and JIT programs (KANBAN).
Update & maintain ERP system part master data including new item creation, discontinuations and site planning changes.

Purchasing agent vs senior purchasing agent skills

Common purchasing agent skills

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

Common senior purchasing agent skills

Purchase Orders, 8%
Project Management, 6%
Supplier Relationships, 6%
Strategic Sourcing, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
Continuous Improvement, 5%

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Purchasing Agent
Purchasing Agent vs Senior Purchasing Agent

Updated January 8, 2025

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