Purchasing program manager vs purchasing manager

The differences between purchasing program managers and purchasing 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 program manager and a purchasing manager. Additionally, a purchasing manager has an average salary of $98,118, which is higher than the $76,255 average annual salary of a purchasing program manager.

The top three skills for a purchasing program manager include supply chain, logistics and RFQ. The most important skills for a purchasing manager are supply chain, strategic sourcing, and project management.

Purchasing program manager vs purchasing manager overview

	Purchasing Program Manager	Purchasing Manager
Yearly salary	$76,255	$98,118
Hourly rate	$36.66	$47.17
Growth rate	-6%	-6%
Number of jobs	98,769	30,430
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a purchasing program manager do?

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.

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.

Purchasing program manager vs purchasing manager salary

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

	Purchasing Program Manager	Purchasing Manager
Average salary	$76,255	$98,118
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $171,000	Between $70,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City	Ridgecrest, CA	Richmond, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Maine
Best paying company	Safran	McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry	Professional	Technology

Differences between purchasing program manager and purchasing manager education

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

	Purchasing Program Manager	Purchasing Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Purchasing program manager vs purchasing manager demographics

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

	Purchasing Program Manager	Purchasing Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 59.3% Female, 40.7%	Male, 67.0% Female, 33.0%
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, 9.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between purchasing program manager and purchasing manager duties and responsibilities

Purchasing program manager example responsibilities.

Define and manage overall clear to build process (CTB).
Manage material and subcontract EVMS, budget, inventory, forecasting and procurement contracts.
Manage all earn value (EVMS) requirements for labor, purchase materials and subcontracts.
Build and manage the strategic planning, KPI, annual material cost budget, and department budget.
Manage EAC's, earn value, forecasting, and cash flow; offset variances with risk reduction opportunities.
Manage order processing and weekly production scheduling for assign commodities.

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 program manager vs purchasing manager skills

Common purchasing program manager skills

Supply Chain, 19%
Logistics, 12%
RFQ, 10%
Supplier Quality, 9%
On-Time Delivery, 6%
Program Management, 6%

Common purchasing manager skills

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

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Purchasing Program Manager
Purchasing Program Manager vs Purchasing Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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