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The differences between purchasing assistants 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 assistant and a senior purchasing agent. Additionally, a senior purchasing agent has an average salary of $73,386, which is higher than the $38,331 average annual salary of a purchasing assistant.
The top three skills for a purchasing assistant include purchase orders, purchase requisitions and customer service. The most important skills for a senior purchasing agent are purchase orders, project management, and supplier relationships.
| Purchasing Assistant | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $38,331 | $73,386 |
| Hourly rate | $18.43 | $35.28 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 8,415 | 43,833 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
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 assistants and senior purchasing agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Purchasing Assistant | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Average salary | $38,331 | $73,386 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $47,000 | Between $52,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | New York |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | Levi Strauss & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a purchasing assistant and a senior purchasing agent in terms of educational background:
| Purchasing Assistant | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between purchasing assistants' and senior purchasing agents' demographics:
| Purchasing Assistant | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.8% Female, 77.2% | Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |