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The differences between supply chain planners and supply chain managers 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 supply chain manager. Additionally, a supply chain manager has an average salary of $100,414, which is higher than the $80,668 average annual salary of a supply chain planner.
The top three skills for a supply chain planner include supply chain, customer service and supply chain planning. The most important skills for a supply chain manager are supply chain, logistics, and project management.
| Supply Chain Planner | Supply Chain Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $80,668 | $100,414 |
| Hourly rate | $38.78 | $48.28 |
| Growth rate | 28% | - |
| Number of jobs | 36,145 | 37,773 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| 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.
A supply chain manager is an individual who takes responsibility for managing hardware, equipment, and any other logistical details of an organization. Supply chain managers work alongside the external partners for parts and raw material procurement. They make sure that global companies coordinate with their sources of goods. These professionals also assess their suppliers and negotiate corporate contracts with vendors. The skills they needed include technical understanding, project management, cost accounting skills, and business ethics.
Supply chain planners and supply chain managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supply Chain Planner | Supply Chain Manager | |
| Average salary | $80,668 | $100,414 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $110,000 | Between $72,000 And $139,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a supply chain planner and a supply chain manager in terms of educational background:
| Supply Chain Planner | Supply Chain Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between supply chain planners' and supply chain managers' demographics:
| Supply Chain Planner | Supply Chain Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0% | Male, 74.8% Female, 25.2% |
| 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, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |