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The differences between senior demand planners and 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 demand planner and a purchasing agent. Additionally, a senior demand planner has an average salary of $89,229, which is higher than the $51,950 average annual salary of a purchasing agent.
The top three skills for a senior demand planner include demand planning, forecast accuracy and supply chain planning. The most important skills for a purchasing agent are purchase orders, customer service, and logistics.
| Senior Demand Planner | Purchasing Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $89,229 | $51,950 |
| Hourly rate | $42.90 | $24.98 |
| Growth rate | 28% | - |
| Number of jobs | 26,865 | 45,856 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| 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.
A purchasing agent's general task is keeping purchase records and making sure that there won't be any discrepancies with the handling of orders. The purchasing agent should be responsible for the order processing and payment collection. Purchasing agents should also be proficient in interpreting and evaluating data, researching on best marketing sources and alternatives, issuing required documentation for suppliers, as well as managing customer queries as needed. Being a purchasing agent requires critical-thinking skills in assessing concerns and providing solutions should there be any possible negotiation conflicts.
Senior demand planners and purchasing agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Demand Planner | Purchasing Agent | |
| Average salary | $89,229 | $51,950 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $116,000 | Between $37,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Abiomed |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior demand planner and a purchasing agent in terms of educational background:
| Senior Demand Planner | Purchasing Agent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior demand planners' and purchasing agents' demographics:
| Senior Demand Planner | Purchasing Agent | |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| 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, 9.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 7% |