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The differences between senior purchasing managers and buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior purchasing manager, becoming a buyer takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a senior purchasing manager has an average salary of $109,837, which is higher than the $54,049 average annual salary of a buyer.
The top three skills for a senior purchasing manager include supply chain, purchase orders and logistics. The most important skills for a buyer are purchase orders, customer service, and logistics.
| Senior Purchasing Manager | Buyer | |
| Yearly salary | $109,837 | $54,049 |
| Hourly rate | $52.81 | $25.99 |
| Growth rate | -6% | - |
| Number of jobs | 19,183 | 23,589 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
A senior purchasing manager is responsible for spearheading and overseeing the efforts in purchasing supplies for a company. They are in charge of managing purchasing teams, gathering purchase requests, identifying the company's needs, and setting goals in adherence to the budget. They must also liaise with vendors and suppliers, negotiate contracts, and build positive relationships with them. Furthermore, as a senior manager, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A buyer's duties include product sourcing and comparing resources for the best product range that would suit the specific needs of the business. Buyers must have excellent communication and negotiation skills to evaluate items that most likely benefit the customer and improve the sales of daily operations with cost-efficient products. They also conduct extensive research for market and price trends while considering the highest quality standards. Buyers should also possess strong analytical skills to create purchase orders and statistical analysis.
Senior purchasing managers and buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Purchasing Manager | Buyer | |
| Average salary | $109,837 | $54,049 |
| Salary range | Between $79,000 And $152,000 | Between $37,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | Englewood, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Tonix Pharmaceuticals | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior purchasing manager and a buyer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Purchasing Manager | Buyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between senior purchasing managers' and buyers' demographics:
| Senior Purchasing Manager | Buyer | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.0% Female, 32.0% | Male, 43.9% Female, 56.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 15% |