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The differences between senior sourcing specialists 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 sourcing specialist, becoming a buyer takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a senior sourcing specialist has an average salary of $79,213, which is higher than the $54,049 average annual salary of a buyer.
The top three skills for a senior sourcing specialist include linkedin, HR and applicant tracking systems. The most important skills for a buyer are purchase orders, customer service, and logistics.
| Senior Sourcing Specialist | Buyer | |
| Yearly salary | $79,213 | $54,049 |
| Hourly rate | $38.08 | $25.99 |
| Growth rate | -6% | - |
| Number of jobs | 7,764 | 23,589 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 48 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
The job of a senior sourcing specialist is to help companies implement more effective processes and systems to reduce costs and increase profitability. You will be responsible for negotiating with suppliers to procure materials, products, and services at the best possible price using your in-depth knowledge of their industry and strategic sourcing strategies. As a senior source specialist, you are expected to develop and implement inventory optimization strategies across the company. You will also need to find or develop solutions to improve company outsourcing and spending.
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 sourcing specialists and buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Sourcing Specialist | Buyer | |
| Average salary | $79,213 | $54,049 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $103,000 | Between $37,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Englewood, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | PayPal | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior sourcing specialist and a buyer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Sourcing Specialist | Buyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between senior sourcing specialists' and buyers' demographics:
| Senior Sourcing Specialist | Buyer | |
| Average age | 48 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2% | Male, 43.9% Female, 56.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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 | 7% | 15% |