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The differences between supply chain planners and senior 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 senior buyer. Additionally, a supply chain planner has an average salary of $80,668, which is higher than the $79,848 average annual salary of a senior 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 senior buyer are supply chain, purchase orders, and MRP.
| Supply Chain Planner | Senior Buyer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,668 | $79,848 |
| Hourly rate | $38.78 | $38.39 |
| Growth rate | 28% | - |
| Number of jobs | 36,145 | 27,412 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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 job of senior buyers, or also known as purchasing agents, is to meet the material needs of an organization. They are responsible for finding suppliers, arranging the distribution to several retail outlets, and supervising other purchasing agents. They also look for new product streams and establish procurement strategies. Senior buyers typically begin their careers as assistant buyers or junior purchasing agents. Most employers usually prefer those with college degrees in marketing, business, and economics.
Supply chain planners and senior buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supply Chain Planner | Senior Buyer | |
| Average salary | $80,668 | $79,848 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $110,000 | Between $56,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Capgemini |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a supply chain planner and a senior buyer in terms of educational background:
| Supply Chain Planner | Senior Buyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between supply chain planners' and senior buyers' demographics:
| Supply Chain Planner | Senior Buyer | |
| Average age | 47 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0% | Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3% |
| 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, 8.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 7% |