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Senior demand planner vs purchasing buyer

The differences between senior demand planners and purchasing 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 purchasing buyer. Additionally, a senior demand planner has an average salary of $89,229, which is higher than the $47,471 average annual salary of a purchasing 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 purchasing buyer are purchase orders, logistics, and cost savings.

Senior demand planner vs purchasing buyer overview

Senior Demand PlannerPurchasing Buyer
Yearly salary$89,229$47,471
Hourly rate$42.90$22.82
Growth rate28%-
Number of jobs26,86521,158
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4148
Years of experience66

What does a senior demand planner do?

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.

What does a purchasing buyer do?

In a retail setting, a purchasing buyer is primarily responsible for devising strategies for procuring supplies, ensuring that it aligns with the company's needs and standards. They are also responsible for conducting thorough marketing research and analysis, coordinating with different departments to gather and process documentation, liaising and negotiating with vendors and suppliers, and keeping track of all purchasing orders to ensure accuracy and timeliness. Furthermore, as a purchasing buyer, it is essential to maintain records of all transactions and submit regular reports to supervisors.

Senior demand planner vs purchasing buyer salary

Senior demand planners and purchasing buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Demand PlannerPurchasing Buyer
Average salary$89,229$47,471
Salary rangeBetween $68,000 And $116,000Between $35,000 And $62,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAGoleta, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyMicrosoftAramco Services Company
Best paying industryTechnologyAutomotive

Differences between senior demand planner and purchasing buyer education

There are a few differences between a senior demand planner and a purchasing buyer in terms of educational background:

Senior Demand PlannerPurchasing Buyer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Senior demand planner vs purchasing buyer demographics

Here are the differences between senior demand planners' and purchasing buyers' demographics:

Senior Demand PlannerPurchasing Buyer
Average age4148
Gender ratioMale, 55.5% Female, 44.5%Male, 41.9% Female, 58.1%
Race ratioBlack 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, 9.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage9%7%

Differences between senior demand planner and purchasing buyer duties and responsibilities

Senior demand planner example responsibilities.

  • Manage daily forecast adjustment process; coordinate updates into MRP.
  • Manage AMD's key multi-national customers MRP, demand & ship plan through weekly sales & customer meetings.
  • Manage communication among freight forwarders, trucking companies, and warehouse representatives.
  • Work closely with product management, marketing, commercial, finance and logistics.
  • Review customer s orders for proper shipping window and delivery appointment with logistics team.
  • Initiate and/or participate in a wide range of supply chain and ERP improvement projects.
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Purchasing buyer example responsibilities.

  • Manage the development of RFP process per departmental and legal requirements.
  • Create and manage requisitions, code billing statements and reconcile monthly bills in PeopleSoft.
  • Manage logistics and materials receive for appropriate quantities, timeliness and accuracy to complete project project.
  • Complete request for quotation (RFQ), design reviews, and advance product quality planning (APQP).
  • Used MRP to track and develop orders for electronic and mechanical commodities for high volume 32,000 a day unit product.
  • Make purchasing decisions base on the examination and recommendations of the ERP planning system and issuing and maintaining supplier purchase orders.
  • Show more

Senior demand planner vs purchasing buyer skills

Common senior demand planner skills
  • Demand Planning, 18%
  • Forecast Accuracy, 10%
  • Supply Chain Planning, 6%
  • Demand Forecasts, 5%
  • Logistics, 5%
  • POS, 4%
Common purchasing buyer skills
  • Purchase Orders, 29%
  • Logistics, 6%
  • Cost Savings, 5%
  • ERP, 4%
  • MRP, 4%
  • RFQ, 4%

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