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The differences between senior sourcing analysts and senior purchasing agents 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 sourcing analyst and a senior purchasing agent. Additionally, a senior sourcing analyst has an average salary of $84,801, which is higher than the $73,386 average annual salary of a senior purchasing agent.
The top three skills for a senior sourcing analyst include DOD, CI and intelligence analysis. The most important skills for a senior purchasing agent are purchase orders, project management, and supplier relationships.
| Senior Sourcing Analyst | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $84,801 | $73,386 |
| Hourly rate | $40.77 | $35.28 |
| Growth rate | 3% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 12,504 | 43,833 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior sourcing analyst is an individual who oversees the planning and purchasing process for specific commodities and who supports new product launches. He/She or she should be able to establish relationships with suppliers to help in the sourcing process and in the negotiation of deals and contracts to ensure compliance with budgetary requirements. The position requires core skills such as strong analytical, mathematical, and negotiating skills and deep knowledge of the industry the analyst is working in. The education requirements for the job include an associate or bachelor's degree in business, supply chain management, marketing, or a related field.
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.
Senior sourcing analysts and senior purchasing agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Sourcing Analyst | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Average salary | $84,801 | $73,386 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $112,000 | Between $52,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Foster City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Levi Strauss & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Energy |
There are a few differences between a senior sourcing analyst and a senior purchasing agent in terms of educational background:
| Senior Sourcing Analyst | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior sourcing analysts' and senior purchasing agents' demographics:
| Senior Sourcing Analyst | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.8% Female, 37.2% | Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |