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The differences between senior demand planners and planner/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 senior demand planner and a planner/buyer. Additionally, a senior demand planner has an average salary of $89,229, which is higher than the $54,261 average annual salary of a planner/buyer.
The top three skills for a senior demand planner include demand planning, forecast accuracy and supply chain planning. The most important skills for a planner/buyer are supply chain, purchase orders, and customer service.
| Senior Demand Planner | Planner/Buyer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,229 | $54,261 |
| Hourly rate | $42.90 | $26.09 |
| Growth rate | 28% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 26,865 | 33,452 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Senior demand planners are responsible for new product introduction and instrument forecasting inside the demand planning team. Their duty is an important part of the supply chain operation, and they perform closely with business operations, marketing, manufacturing, sourcing, and engineering to make certain service level expectations and inventory accessibility are met. Basic duties include creating planning margins in material requirements planning, evaluating demand trend data, and demonstrating to the leadership organization. Also, they essentially create models, procedures, and databases for data reporting and assimilation. Additionally, they design transition strategies and predictions as well as observe monthly performance to plan, identify, and convey trends that stipulate gaps.
The role of buyers/planners is to ensure that office materials and equipment are well-supplied within their organization. They decide and purchase the materials needed for use or resale by their organization. They are responsible for evaluating prospective suppliers based on their cost, product quality, and delivery times. They are also the ones who negotiate contracts specifying the payment terms, price, and delivery schedules. Most employers prefer their buyer to have earned a bachelor's degree with a major in operations management or business management.
Senior demand planners and planner/buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Demand Planner | Planner/Buyer | |
| Average salary | $89,229 | $54,261 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $116,000 | Between $37,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Billerica, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Edwards Lifesciences |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior demand planner and a planner/buyer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Demand Planner | Planner/Buyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior demand planners' and planner/buyers' demographics:
| Senior Demand Planner | Planner/Buyer | |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.5% Female, 44.5% | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 10.5% White, 51.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 7% |