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The differences between senior purchasing agents and purchasing supervisors 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 purchasing supervisor. Additionally, a senior purchasing agent has an average salary of $73,386, which is higher than the $68,702 average annual salary of a purchasing supervisor.
The top three skills for a senior purchasing agent include purchase orders, project management and supplier relationships. The most important skills for a purchasing supervisor are purchase orders, MRP, and supplier performance.
| Senior Purchasing Agent | Purchasing Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $73,386 | $68,702 |
| Hourly rate | $35.28 | $33.03 |
| Growth rate | -6% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 43,833 | 19,412 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| 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 purchasing supervisor orders supplies, equipment, and materials from vendors by buyers. The purchasing supervisors assess, select, and build relationships with the vendors. They do the negotiation for the contracts of goods and services. It is their job to review the purchase orders for accuracy and ensure to obtain the best prices. The skills supervisors need to develop include marketing, communication, leadership, and management. They should also know about purchasing products and services.
Senior purchasing agents and purchasing supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Purchasing Agent | Purchasing Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $73,386 | $68,702 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $103,000 | Between $45,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Levi Strauss & Co. | CDW |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior purchasing agent and a purchasing supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Senior Purchasing Agent | Purchasing Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior purchasing agents' and purchasing supervisors' demographics:
| Senior Purchasing Agent | Purchasing Supervisor | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3% | Male, 57.4% Female, 42.6% |
| 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, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |