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The differences between senior buyers and senior purchasing agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior buyer and a senior purchasing agent. Additionally, a senior buyer has an average salary of $79,848, which is higher than the $73,386 average annual salary of a senior purchasing agent.
The top three skills for a senior buyer include supply chain, purchase orders and MRP. The most important skills for a senior purchasing agent are purchase orders, project management, and supplier relationships.
| Senior Buyer | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $79,848 | $73,386 |
| Hourly rate | $38.39 | $35.28 |
| Growth rate | - | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 27,412 | 43,833 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The job of senior buyers, or also known as purchasing agents, is to meet the material needs of an organization. They are responsible for finding suppliers, arranging the distribution to several retail outlets, and supervising other purchasing agents. They also look for new product streams and establish procurement strategies. Senior buyers typically begin their careers as assistant buyers or junior purchasing agents. Most employers usually prefer those with college degrees in marketing, business, and economics.
Senior Purchasing Agents are experienced employees in the company's purchasing department. They oversee the purchase requisitions of the employees. They validate requests, ensure that the requestors followed company guidelines, check the availability of the items with the chosen supplier, and forward the purchase order to the supplier. Upon fulfillment of the request, Senior Purchasing Agents check the deliveries, ensure that the items are complete and correct, forward the items to the requestor, and process the payment for the supplier. Senior Purchasing agents also prepare reports, spot trends in employee or department purchases, and create recommendations based on observations. They are also expected to form good working relationships with suppliers.
Senior buyers and senior purchasing agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Buyer | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Average salary | $79,848 | $73,386 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $112,000 | Between $52,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Capgemini | Levi Strauss & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Energy |
There are a few differences between a senior buyer and a senior purchasing agent in terms of educational background:
| Senior Buyer | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior buyers' and senior purchasing agents' demographics:
| Senior Buyer | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3% | Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |