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Technical buyer vs senior buyer

The differences between technical buyers 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 technical buyer and a senior buyer. Additionally, a senior buyer has an average salary of $79,848, which is higher than the $60,382 average annual salary of a technical buyer.

The top three skills for a technical buyer include purchase orders, supplier performance and strategic sourcing. The most important skills for a senior buyer are supply chain, purchase orders, and MRP.

Technical buyer vs senior buyer overview

Technical BuyerSenior Buyer
Yearly salary$60,382$79,848
Hourly rate$29.03$38.39
Growth rate--
Number of jobs79,68627,412
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age4848
Years of experience66

What does a technical buyer do?

Technical Buyers are tasked with managing several materials, products, or services to promote the business. They must be in touch with the stakeholder because he/she is tasked with the high screening and contracting with the suppliers.

What does a senior buyer do?

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.

Technical buyer vs senior buyer salary

Technical buyers and senior buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Technical BuyerSenior Buyer
Average salary$60,382$79,848
Salary rangeBetween $44,000 And $81,000Between $56,000 And $112,000
Highest paying CityGermantown, MDNew York, NY
Highest paying stateMarylandNew York
Best paying companyCME GroupCapgemini
Best paying industryManufacturingHospitality

Differences between technical buyer and senior buyer education

There are a few differences between a technical buyer and a senior buyer in terms of educational background:

Technical BuyerSenior Buyer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Technical buyer vs senior buyer demographics

Here are the differences between technical buyers' and senior buyers' demographics:

Technical BuyerSenior Buyer
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 62.5% Female, 37.5%Male, 57.7% Female, 42.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%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 Percentage7%7%

Differences between technical buyer and senior buyer duties and responsibilities

Technical buyer example responsibilities.

  • Manage assign plastics, metals and electronic commodities, to ensure quality, quantity and delivery standards are attain.
  • Support cross-region store openings and manage various procurement programs including hardware and POS systems.
  • Manage activities of purchasing, production planning and scheduling, inventory management, warehousing and logistics.
  • Develop RFP's and RFI's to leverage buying power with vendors.
  • Source suppliers and material, create RFQ's, and drive cost savings initiatives.
  • Utilize the Lawson ERP system for procurement.
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Senior buyer example responsibilities.

  • Manage assigned commodities by communicating MRP changes and forecasts to minimize excess inventory to achieve optimum inventory levels.
  • Manage and analyze supplier OTD and keep in constant communication with suppliers to help improve delivery.
  • Manage ECO process with overseas manufacturing partner.
  • Lead Made2Manage ERP system development and implementation to improve effectiveness and efficiency of inventory.
  • Manage invoice reconciliations, RFQ management, system database review and regular inventory reporting.
  • Manage commodities at establish re-order point levels meeting forecast for production scale-up and revenue goals.
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Technical buyer vs senior buyer skills

Common technical buyer skills
  • Purchase Orders, 14%
  • Supplier Performance, 10%
  • Strategic Sourcing, 5%
  • Vendor Relationships, 5%
  • POS, 4%
  • ERP, 4%
Common senior buyer skills
  • Supply Chain, 17%
  • Purchase Orders, 11%
  • MRP, 4%
  • Supplier Performance, 4%
  • Commodities, 4%
  • Continuous Improvement, 4%

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