Purchasing manager vs purchasing buyer

The differences between purchasing managers and purchasing buyers 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 a purchasing buyer. Additionally, a purchasing manager has an average salary of $98,118, which is higher than the $47,471 average annual salary of a purchasing buyer.

The top three skills for a purchasing manager include supply chain, strategic sourcing and project management. The most important skills for a purchasing buyer are purchase orders, logistics, and cost savings.

Purchasing manager vs purchasing buyer overview

	Purchasing Manager	Purchasing Buyer
Yearly salary	$98,118	$47,471
Hourly rate	$47.17	$22.82
Growth rate	-6%	-
Number of jobs	30,430	21,158
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	47	48
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 a purchasing buyer do?

In a retail setting, a purchasing buyer is primarily responsible for devising strategies for procuring supplies, ensuring that it aligns with the company's needs and standards. They are also responsible for conducting thorough marketing research and analysis, coordinating with different departments to gather and process documentation, liaising and negotiating with vendors and suppliers, and keeping track of all purchasing orders to ensure accuracy and timeliness. Furthermore, as a purchasing buyer, it is essential to maintain records of all transactions and submit regular reports to supervisors.

Purchasing manager vs purchasing buyer salary

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

	Purchasing Manager	Purchasing Buyer
Average salary	$98,118	$47,471
Salary range	Between $70,000 And $136,000	Between $35,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	Richmond, CA	Goleta, CA
Highest paying state	Maine	California
Best paying company	McKinsey & Company Inc	Aramco Services Company
Best paying industry	Technology	Automotive

Differences between purchasing manager and purchasing buyer education

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

	Purchasing Manager	Purchasing Buyer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Purchasing manager vs purchasing buyer demographics

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

	Purchasing Manager	Purchasing Buyer
Average age	47	48
Gender ratio	Male, 67.0% Female, 33.0%	Male, 41.9% Female, 58.1%
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, 9.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	11%	7%

Differences between purchasing manager and purchasing buyer 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.

Purchasing buyer example responsibilities.

Manage the development of RFP process per departmental and legal requirements.
Create and manage requisitions, code billing statements and reconcile monthly bills in PeopleSoft.
Manage logistics and materials receive for appropriate quantities, timeliness and accuracy to complete project project.
Complete request for quotation (RFQ), design reviews, and advance product quality planning (APQP).
Used MRP to track and develop orders for electronic and mechanical commodities for high volume 32,000 a day unit product.
Make purchasing decisions base on the examination and recommendations of the ERP planning system and issuing and maintaining supplier purchase orders.

Purchasing manager vs purchasing buyer skills

Common purchasing manager skills

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

Common purchasing buyer skills

Purchase Orders, 29%
Logistics, 6%
Cost Savings, 5%
ERP, 4%
MRP, 4%
RFQ, 4%

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Purchasing Manager
Purchasing Manager vs Purchasing Buyer

Updated January 8, 2025

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