Purchasing manager vs inventory manager

The differences between purchasing managers and inventory managers 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 manager and an inventory manager. Additionally, a purchasing manager has an average salary of $98,118, which is higher than the $62,768 average annual salary of an inventory manager.

The top three skills for a purchasing manager include supply chain, strategic sourcing and project management. The most important skills for an inventory manager are PET, direct reports, and customer service.

Purchasing manager vs inventory manager overview

	Purchasing Manager	Inventory Manager
Yearly salary	$98,118	$62,768
Hourly rate	$47.17	$30.18
Growth rate	-6%	-6%
Number of jobs	30,430	30,717
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a purchasing manager do?

A purchasing manager is responsible for organizing and managing products to order or sell. Purchasing managers review product specifications, negotiate pricing details with the vendors, evaluate and choose the best suppliers, and assist purchasing agents. Purchase managers are also responsible for resolving order processing issues and analyzing current market trends to determine which products to purchase. A purchasing manager must have excellent decision-making and strategical skills to examine effects, inspect defective items, and create an in-depth analysis of customers' needs to improve their performance and sales.

What does an inventory manager do?

An inventory manager is responsible for supervising the overall inventory operations, monitoring supplies and materials, and checking the accuracy of data reports from the inventory associates. Inventory managers' duties include validating stock levels using record software tools, determining the availability of stocks for purchase orders, inspecting the incoming and outgoing shipments, and addressing product concerns by communicating with suppliers and third-party vendors. An inventory manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the staff's performance and manage customers' inquiries and complaints.

Purchasing manager vs inventory manager salary

Purchasing managers and inventory managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchasing Manager	Inventory Manager
Average salary	$98,118	$62,768
Salary range	Between $70,000 And $136,000	Between $43,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City	Richmond, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Maine	Washington
Best paying company	McKinsey & Company Inc	NVIDIA
Best paying industry	Technology	Retail

Differences between purchasing manager and inventory manager education

There are a few differences between a purchasing manager and an inventory manager in terms of educational background:

	Purchasing Manager	Inventory Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Purchasing manager vs inventory manager demographics

Here are the differences between purchasing managers' and inventory managers' demographics:

	Purchasing Manager	Inventory Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 67.0% Female, 33.0%	Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 8.5% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	11%	10%

Differences between purchasing manager and inventory manager duties and responsibilities

Purchasing manager example responsibilities.

Manage payroll and accounts payable.
Lead major purchasing projects for automotive OEM vehicles.
Used RFI, RFP, RFQ techniques to identify, select, and engage with suppliers to ensure competitive market advantage.
Establish an integrate MRO supply program which eliminate specific company manage buying, inventory control and warehousing functions.
Manage all procurement activities to support manufacturing operations including raw materials, tooling, components and MRO services.
Manage several indirect sourcing RFP projects including categories for translation services, payroll services, capital equipment and engineering services.

Inventory manager example responsibilities.

Accomplish and operate MRP and produce purchasing orders to optimize inventories of materials and supplies necessary to achieve production demands.
Manage a wide variety of customer service and administrative software such as TallyWizard and QuickBooks.
Manage control measures to ensure mistakes, inaccuracies and discrepancies are highlight, addressed and resolve.
Manage credit control, monthly reconciliations, management analysis and internal control.
Reduce new parts inventory and increase cash flow level each year with JIT deliveries.
Create and implement numerous processes, reports, and indicators for MRO inventory management.

Purchasing manager vs inventory manager skills

Common purchasing manager skills

Supply Chain, 15%
Strategic Sourcing, 7%
Project Management, 5%
Supplier Performance, 5%
Continuous Improvement, 4%
Purchase Orders, 4%

Common inventory manager skills

PET, 75%
Direct Reports, 4%
Customer Service, 4%
Inventory Control, 2%
Logistics, 2%
Manage Inventory, 2%

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Purchasing Manager
Purchasing Manager vs Inventory Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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