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The differences between supply chain planners and supply chain specialists 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 specialist. Additionally, a supply chain planner has an average salary of $80,668, which is higher than the $71,414 average annual salary of a supply chain specialist.
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 specialist are supply chain, logistics, and chain management.
| Supply Chain Planner | Supply Chain Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $80,668 | $71,414 |
| Hourly rate | $38.78 | $34.33 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 36,145 | 25,129 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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.
It is the responsibility of the supply chain specialist to procure materials to manufacture and ship products. The supply chain specialist determines and orders the proper quantities and negotiates pricing and their shipment terms. They oversee the delivery of necessary materials for the fulfillment of orders made by customers. The specialists need to develop strong skills in project management, business ethics, problem-solving, understanding of financial statements, communication skills, and cost accounting skills.
Supply chain planners and supply chain specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supply Chain Planner | Supply Chain Specialist | |
| Average salary | $80,668 | $71,414 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $110,000 | Between $49,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a supply chain planner and a supply chain specialist in terms of educational background:
| Supply Chain Planner | Supply Chain Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between supply chain planners' and supply chain specialists' demographics:
| Supply Chain Planner | Supply Chain Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0% | Male, 58.6% Female, 41.4% |
| 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, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |