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The differences between supply chain planners and planner/buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a supply chain planner and a planner/buyer. Additionally, a supply chain planner has an average salary of $80,668, which is higher than the $54,261 average annual salary of a planner/buyer.
The top three skills for a supply chain planner include supply chain, customer service and supply chain planning. The most important skills for a planner/buyer are supply chain, purchase orders, and customer service.
| Supply Chain Planner | Planner/Buyer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,668 | $54,261 |
| Hourly rate | $38.78 | $26.09 |
| Growth rate | 28% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 36,145 | 33,452 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 47 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The job of supply chain planners, or logisticians, is to plan, develop, and schedule project management tools in support of an organization's operations. They are responsible for managing and monitoring inventories, forecasting production and sales levels, and tracking response time and delivery performance. Other duties include analyzing the levels of finished products, developing and monitoring production plans, and generating reports. Supply chain planners are also responsible for supervising other team members and ensuring that customer service best practices are followed.
The role of buyers/planners is to ensure that office materials and equipment are well-supplied within their organization. They decide and purchase the materials needed for use or resale by their organization. They are responsible for evaluating prospective suppliers based on their cost, product quality, and delivery times. They are also the ones who negotiate contracts specifying the payment terms, price, and delivery schedules. Most employers prefer their buyer to have earned a bachelor's degree with a major in operations management or business management.
Supply chain planners and planner/buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supply Chain Planner | Planner/Buyer | |
| Average salary | $80,668 | $54,261 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $110,000 | Between $37,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Billerica, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Edwards Lifesciences |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a supply chain planner and a planner/buyer in terms of educational background:
| Supply Chain Planner | Planner/Buyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between supply chain planners' and planner/buyers' demographics:
| Supply Chain Planner | Planner/Buyer | |
| Average age | 47 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0% | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 7% |