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The differences between senior demand planners and planning specialists 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 planning specialist. Additionally, a senior demand planner has an average salary of $89,229, which is higher than the $69,170 average annual salary of a planning specialist.
The top three skills for a senior demand planner include demand planning, forecast accuracy and supply chain planning. The most important skills for a planning specialist are customer service, logistics, and project management.
| Senior Demand Planner | Planning Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $89,229 | $69,170 |
| Hourly rate | $42.90 | $33.25 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 26,865 | 31,008 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| 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.
A planning specialist is responsible for monitoring the project management procedures of an organization's operations, ensuring that the team meets budget goals and deadline deliverables. Planning specialists coordinate with suppliers and other third-party vendors for materials needed in the operations, as well as inspecting the efficiency and performance of equipment to prevent delays. They also manage the team's adherence to production schedule, task delegations, and output deliveries. A planning specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing progress reports and performing other related administrative duties.
Senior demand planners and planning specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Demand Planner | Planning Specialist | |
| Average salary | $89,229 | $69,170 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $116,000 | Between $49,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Rockville, MD |
| Highest paying state | California | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior demand planner and a planning specialist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Demand Planner | Planning Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior demand planners' and planning specialists' demographics:
| Senior Demand Planner | Planning Specialist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.5% Female, 44.5% | Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5% |
| 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, 11.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 11.3% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |