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The differences between purchasing program managers and contracts directors 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 program manager and a contracts director. Additionally, a purchasing program manager has an average salary of $76,255, which is higher than the $73,351 average annual salary of a contracts director.
The top three skills for a purchasing program manager include supply chain, logistics and RFQ. The most important skills for a contracts director are contract management, oversight, and contract terms.
| Purchasing Program Manager | Contracts Director | |
| Yearly salary | $76,255 | $73,351 |
| Hourly rate | $36.66 | $35.26 |
| Growth rate | -6% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 98,769 | 12,378 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Purchasing Program Managers will need a bachelor's degree in this field with certification options in the Institute for Supply Management, American Purchasing Society, Association for Operations Management, or other such organizations. They must also have cultivated skills in understanding supply chains, supplier performance, and logistics. Paying out at around $103K per year on average, they will be called to design, plan, and implement strategies for sourcing and purchasing, work with the suppliers and manufacturers, maintain databases of suppliers, negotiate price lowering, and focus on building and maintaining relationships with the necessary suppliers and vendors.
A contract director is primarily in charge of developing and negotiating contracts with clients and partners, ensuring adherence to the company's policies and regulations. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing extensive research and analysis to foresee potential advantages and disadvantages, coordinating with analysts and other experts, monitoring the progress of operations to ensure contract compliance of both parties, and overseeing the development of proposals within the organization. Furthermore, as a contract director, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach goals, all while implementing the mission and vision of the company.
Purchasing program managers and contracts directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Purchasing Program Manager | Contracts Director | |
| Average salary | $76,255 | $73,351 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $171,000 | Between $46,000 And $116,000 |
| Highest paying City | Ridgecrest, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Safran | Edwards Lifesciences |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a purchasing program manager and a contracts director in terms of educational background:
| Purchasing Program Manager | Contracts Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between purchasing program managers' and contracts directors' demographics:
| Purchasing Program Manager | Contracts Director | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.3% Female, 40.7% | Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 7.5% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 7.4% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |