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The differences between subcontract administrators 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 subcontract administrator and a senior purchasing agent. Additionally, a senior purchasing agent has an average salary of $73,386, which is higher than the $65,686 average annual salary of a subcontract administrator.
The top three skills for a subcontract administrator include price analysis, purchase orders and program management. The most important skills for a senior purchasing agent are purchase orders, project management, and supplier relationships.
| Subcontract Administrator | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $65,686 | $73,386 |
| Hourly rate | $31.58 | $35.28 |
| Growth rate | -6% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 51,285 | 43,833 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
As a subcontract administrator, you will be responsible for identifying the needs of a company and implement measures and initiatives to fulfill those needs. This role will require you to perform a few tasks, including responding to purchase requisitions, soliciting bids and proposals from new and existing sources, and evaluating terms and awarding the subcontract. You are then expected to monitor the subcontract terms, including plans, progress, and payments. You will also be responsible for negotiating additions, modifications, and deletions of subcontracts.
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.
Subcontract administrators and senior purchasing agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Subcontract Administrator | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Average salary | $65,686 | $73,386 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $102,000 | Between $52,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Urban Institute | Levi Strauss & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a subcontract administrator and a senior purchasing agent in terms of educational background:
| Subcontract Administrator | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between subcontract administrators' and senior purchasing agents' demographics:
| Subcontract Administrator | Senior Purchasing Agent | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.7% Female, 48.3% | Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.7% 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% |