Senior manager, procurement vs purchasing manager

The differences between senior managers, procurement and purchasing managers 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 manager, procurement and a purchasing manager. Additionally, a senior manager, procurement has an average salary of $121,433, which is higher than the $98,118 average annual salary of a purchasing manager.

The top three skills for a senior manager, procurement include supply chain, strategic sourcing and supplier performance. The most important skills for a purchasing manager are supply chain, strategic sourcing, and project management.

Senior manager, procurement vs purchasing manager overview

	Senior Manager, Procurement	Purchasing Manager
Yearly salary	$121,433	$98,118
Hourly rate	$58.38	$47.17
Growth rate	-6%	-6%
Number of jobs	36,873	30,430
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a senior manager, procurement do?

Senior Procurement Managers oversee the procurement department of the company. They manage the procurement needs of the organization and network with vendors to keep their database of suppliers updated. Senior Procurement Managers secure competitive prices from their suppliers so that they can save up on costs. As such, Senior Procurement Managers also have visibility on the spending of each department in the organization so that they will never go over budget.

What does a purchasing manager do?

A purchasing manager is responsible for organizing and managing products to order or sell. Purchasing managers review product specifications, negotiate pricing details with the vendors, evaluate and choose the best suppliers, and assist purchasing agents. Purchase managers are also responsible for resolving order processing issues and analyzing current market trends to determine which products to purchase. A purchasing manager must have excellent decision-making and strategical skills to examine effects, inspect defective items, and create an in-depth analysis of customers' needs to improve their performance and sales.

Senior manager, procurement vs purchasing manager salary

Senior managers, procurement and purchasing managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Manager, Procurement	Purchasing Manager
Average salary	$121,433	$98,118
Salary range	Between $84,000 And $175,000	Between $70,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Richmond, CA
Highest paying state	California	Maine
Best paying company	McKinsey & Company Inc	McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between senior manager, procurement and purchasing manager education

There are a few differences between a senior manager, procurement and a purchasing manager in terms of educational background:

	Senior Manager, Procurement	Purchasing Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Senior manager, procurement vs purchasing manager demographics

Here are the differences between senior managers, procurement' and purchasing managers' demographics:

	Senior Manager, Procurement	Purchasing Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2%	Male, 67.0% Female, 33.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between senior manager, procurement and purchasing manager duties and responsibilities

Senior manager, procurement example responsibilities.

Manage supplier's performance thru KPIs and score cards.
Lead effort to obtain additional EPC vendor for high voltage electricity design and construction.
Manage SOX, FCPA compliance governance for global freight forwarding with 3PL , 3PP & 3PM partners.
Lead the consolidation of suppliers and leverage the sourcing, contracting, leasing of all materials and services throughout the Americas.
Manage capital procurement process from RFP through implementation.
Lead several highly visible project which require project oversight, budget management and ongoing communication.

Purchasing manager example responsibilities.

Manage payroll and accounts payable.
Lead major purchasing projects for automotive OEM vehicles.
Used RFI, RFP, RFQ techniques to identify, select, and engage with suppliers to ensure competitive market advantage.
Establish an integrate MRO supply program which eliminate specific company manage buying, inventory control and warehousing functions.
Manage all procurement activities to support manufacturing operations including raw materials, tooling, components and MRO services.
Manage several indirect sourcing RFP projects including categories for translation services, payroll services, capital equipment and engineering services.

Senior manager, procurement vs purchasing manager skills

Common senior manager, procurement skills

Supply Chain, 13%
Strategic Sourcing, 5%
Supplier Performance, 5%
Project Management, 5%
Continuous Improvement, 4%
Cost Savings, 4%

Common purchasing manager skills

Supply Chain, 15%
Strategic Sourcing, 7%
Project Management, 5%
Supplier Performance, 5%
Continuous Improvement, 4%
Purchase Orders, 4%

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Senior Manager, Procurement
Senior Manager, Procurement vs Purchasing Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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