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The differences between senior purchasing agents and directors, procurement 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 purchasing agent and a director, procurement. Additionally, a director, procurement has an average salary of $140,058, which is higher than the $73,386 average annual salary of a senior purchasing agent.
The top three skills for a senior purchasing agent include purchase orders, project management and supplier relationships. The most important skills for a director, procurement are strategic sourcing, supplier performance, and continuous improvement.
| Senior Purchasing Agent | Director, Procurement | |
| Yearly salary | $73,386 | $140,058 |
| Hourly rate | $35.28 | $67.34 |
| Growth rate | -6% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 43,833 | 18,037 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 48 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Senior Purchasing Agents are experienced employees in the company's purchasing department. They oversee the purchase requisitions of the employees. They validate requests, ensure that the requestors followed company guidelines, check the availability of the items with the chosen supplier, and forward the purchase order to the supplier. Upon fulfillment of the request, Senior Purchasing Agents check the deliveries, ensure that the items are complete and correct, forward the items to the requestor, and process the payment for the supplier. Senior Purchasing agents also prepare reports, spot trends in employee or department purchases, and create recommendations based on observations. They are also expected to form good working relationships with suppliers.
The responsibilities of a procurement director revolve around ensuring the efficient and smooth flow of supplies within the company, developing procurement strategies for optimal services and operations, assessing risks, and overseeing the implementation of new policies and regulations in the company. It is essential to coordinate with analysts to identify areas with potential opportunities or those needing improvements. Moreover, a director, procurement may directly communicate with stakeholders or higher-ranking officials, participate in recruiting new members of the workforce, and create programs for profit growth and significant results.
Senior purchasing agents and directors, procurement have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Purchasing Agent | Director, Procurement | |
| Average salary | $73,386 | $140,058 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $103,000 | Between $98,000 And $199,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Levi Strauss & Co. | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior purchasing agent and a director, procurement in terms of educational background:
| Senior Purchasing Agent | Director, Procurement | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior purchasing agents' and directors, procurement' demographics:
| Senior Purchasing Agent | Director, Procurement | |
| Average age | 48 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 7.4% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 11% |