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The differences between senior sourcing specialists 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 specialist and a senior purchasing agent. Additionally, a senior sourcing specialist has an average salary of $79,213, which is higher than the $73,386 average annual salary of a senior purchasing agent.
The top three skills for a senior sourcing specialist include linkedin, HR and applicant tracking systems. The most important skills for a senior purchasing agent are purchase orders, project management, and supplier relationships.
| Senior Sourcing Specialist | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $79,213 | $73,386 |
| Hourly rate | $38.08 | $35.28 |
| Growth rate | -6% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 7,764 | 43,833 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 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.
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 specialists and senior purchasing agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Sourcing Specialist | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Average salary | $79,213 | $73,386 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $103,000 | Between $52,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Levi Strauss & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Energy |
There are a few differences between a senior sourcing specialist and a senior purchasing agent in terms of educational background:
| Senior Sourcing Specialist | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | 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 specialists' and senior purchasing agents' demographics:
| Senior Sourcing Specialist | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2% | Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.9% 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% |