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The differences between senior purchasing agents and purchasers 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 purchaser. Additionally, a senior purchasing agent has an average salary of $73,386, which is higher than the $50,031 average annual salary of a purchaser.
The top three skills for a senior purchasing agent include purchase orders, project management and supplier relationships. The most important skills for a purchaser are purchase orders, FDA, and POS.
| Senior Purchasing Agent | Purchaser | |
| Yearly salary | $73,386 | $50,031 |
| Hourly rate | $35.28 | $24.05 |
| Growth rate | -6% | - |
| Number of jobs | 43,833 | 6,852 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| 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.
A Purchaser is responsible for buying goods and services from distribution centers to sell to customers or other companies. They conduct data analysis and research current market trends to identify public demands and generate resources that would increase the company's revenues and profitability. They also ensure the adequacy of supply inventories for deliveries, respond to customers' inquiries and concerns, and recommend products according to their needs and budget requirements. A Purchaser must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in documenting purchase transactions and negotiating contracts with suppliers and vendors.
Senior purchasing agents and purchasers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Purchasing Agent | Purchaser | |
| Average salary | $73,386 | $50,031 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $103,000 | Between $36,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Atlantic City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Levi Strauss & Co. | Barnes Group |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior purchasing agent and a purchaser in terms of educational background:
| Senior Purchasing Agent | Purchaser | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior purchasing agents' and purchasers' demographics:
| Senior Purchasing Agent | Purchaser | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3% | Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8% |
| 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, 8.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |