Purchasing assistant vs subcontract administrator

The differences between purchasing assistants and subcontract administrators 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 subcontract administrator. Additionally, a subcontract administrator has an average salary of $65,686, 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 subcontract administrator are price analysis, purchase orders, and program management.

Purchasing assistant vs subcontract administrator overview

	Purchasing Assistant	Subcontract Administrator
Yearly salary	$38,331	$65,686
Hourly rate	$18.43	$31.58
Growth rate	-8%	-6%
Number of jobs	8,415	51,285
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

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.

What does a subcontract administrator do?

As a subcontract administrator, you will be responsible for identifying the needs of a company and implement measures and initiatives to fulfill those needs. This role will require you to perform a few tasks, including responding to purchase requisitions, soliciting bids and proposals from new and existing sources, and evaluating terms and awarding the subcontract. You are then expected to monitor the subcontract terms, including plans, progress, and payments. You will also be responsible for negotiating additions, modifications, and deletions of subcontracts.

Purchasing assistant vs subcontract administrator salary

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

	Purchasing Assistant	Subcontract Administrator
Average salary	$38,331	$65,686
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $47,000	Between $42,000 And $102,000
Highest paying City	Baltimore, MD	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Maryland	California
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Urban Institute
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between purchasing assistant and subcontract administrator education

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

	Purchasing Assistant	Subcontract Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Purchasing assistant vs subcontract administrator demographics

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

	Purchasing Assistant	Subcontract Administrator
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 22.8% Female, 77.2%	Male, 51.7% Female, 48.3%
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, 9.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between purchasing assistant and subcontract administrator duties and responsibilities

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.

Subcontract administrator example responsibilities.

Coordinate requirements and interface with other division personnel to accomplish timely and cost effective procurement of assign commodities.
Create moderate to complex RFP solicitations and provide additional proposal support including pricing reviews and source selection support.
Administer IDIQ contracts with multiple task orders.
Assist with FFP hardware subcontract in support of NSA contracts.
Negotiate and coordinate additions, deletions, or modifications of DOD subcontracts.
Review and advice on matters of ITAR, FCPA, other Import/Export matters.

Purchasing assistant vs subcontract administrator skills

Common purchasing assistant skills

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

Common subcontract administrator skills

Price Analysis, 11%
Purchase Orders, 8%
Program Management, 5%
Bid Packages, 5%
Non-Disclosure Agreements, 5%
DOD, 4%

Purchasing Assistant vs. similar jobs

Purchasing Assistant related careers

Purchasing Assistant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Business and Financial Industry
Purchasing Assistant
Purchasing Assistant vs Subcontract Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs