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What is a senior purchasing agent and how to become one
A senior purchasing agent oversees a company's purchasing department. They work to get the best possible deals on goods and services while maintaining relationships with suppliers. Their duties involve sourcing suppliers, negotiating contracts, managing budgets, and monitoring inventory. Additionally, senior purchasing agents work with others within the company to determine their needs, and collaborate with suppliers to develop new products. They aim to help the company save money and improve efficiency through smart purchasing decisions.
Avg. Salary $73,386
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate -6%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%
Asian 7.71%
Black or African American 8.90%
Hispanic or Latino 12.26%
Unknown 4.39%
White 65.97%
Genderfemale 42.32%
male 57.68%
Age - 49American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 49Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
What are the pros and cons of being a senior purchasing agent?
Pros
High earning potential
Opportunities for advancement
Development of analytical and strategic thinking skills
Potential for travel and networking
Job security and stability
Cons
High levels of stress and pressure
Long hours and tight deadlines
Involvement in administrative tasks such as paperwork and data entry
Potential for burnout or lack of work-life balance
Constant need to keep up with industry trends and changes
Senior purchasing agent career paths
Key steps to become a senior purchasing agent
Explore senior purchasing agent education requirements
Start to develop specific senior purchasing agent skills
Skills Percentages Purchase Orders 7.72% Project Management 5.97% Supplier Relationships 5.81% Strategic Sourcing 4.90% Customer Service 4.80% Complete relevant senior purchasing agent training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior purchasing agents learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior purchasing agent based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior purchasing agent resumes.Research senior purchasing agent duties and responsibilities
- Manage patterns for older, obsolete OEM part outsource production to locally foundries.
- Interact within an ERP system environment and manage various reporting tools to support operations and control the flow of information.
- Manage subcontracts activity including RFQ analysis, major negotiations and construction of complex subcontracting orders and milestones.
- Provide management for warehousing, transportation, documentation requirements, cost analysis, third-party logistics, and reverse logistics.
Get senior purchasing agent experience
Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a senior purchasing agent. The most common roles before becoming a senior purchasing agent include buyer, senior buyer team lead and purchasing agent.Prepare your senior purchasing agent resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior purchasing agent resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior purchasing agent resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable senior purchasing agent resume templates
Build a professional senior purchasing agent resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior purchasing agent resume.
Apply for senior purchasing agent jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a senior purchasing agent job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first senior purchasing agent job
Are you a senior purchasing agent?
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Average senior purchasing agent salary
The average senior purchasing agent salary in the United States is $73,386 per year or $35 per hour. Senior purchasing agent salaries range between $52,000 and $103,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do senior purchasing agents rate their job?
Senior purchasing agent reviews
Have a direct impact of the company bottom targets.
Works not recognized by upper management!
To be involved in negotiations
I like all in this job, because I have the choise to be in relation with a lot of persons and know what they are doing against purchasing also what the use to buy and under what coondition
Negotiating with suppliers, influencing others, solving problems, making a positive difference to the company's bottom line.
Constant stress, lack of respect from other departments, lack of resources, poor advancement opportunities.
Updated January 8, 2025
