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The differences between senior demand planners and senior 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 senior buyer. Additionally, a senior demand planner has an average salary of $89,229, which is higher than the $79,848 average annual salary of a senior 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 senior buyer are supply chain, purchase orders, and MRP.
| Senior Demand Planner | Senior Buyer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,229 | $79,848 |
| Hourly rate | $42.90 | $38.39 |
| Growth rate | 28% | - |
| Number of jobs | 26,865 | 27,412 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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 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 demand planners and senior buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Demand Planner | Senior Buyer | |
| Average salary | $89,229 | $79,848 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $116,000 | Between $56,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Capgemini |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a senior demand planner and a senior buyer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Demand Planner | Senior Buyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior demand planners' and senior buyers' demographics:
| Senior Demand Planner | Senior Buyer | |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.5% Female, 44.5% | Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3% |
| 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, 8.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 7% |