An administrative manager is in charge of a company’s or organization’s support operations. This person, also known as an office manager, ensures that a department or company runs smoothly. This position may provide managerial support to a specific division or department, as well as the entire company. In an office, he or she may also supervise other clerical workers. The best administrative managers have the attention to detail needed to keep track of a company’s day-to-day operations, as well as strong analytical skills and the ability to work with a diverse group of people.
Set of abilities
This position requires a high level of attention to detail, which will show in reports to supervisors and the simultaneous management of multiple schedules. Those in supervisory positions must be able to effectively lead groups of people and make sound judgment calls when determining whether a course of action is within company policy. Furthermore, anyone working in this position must be a people person, as he or she will most likely be dealing with both junior employees and clients. Administrative managers are frequently called upon to assist in the development of budgets and the writing of employee performance reports, so they must be able to analyze data and make decisions based on their findings.
Responsibilities and Duties
An administrative manager’s day-to-day responsibilities would most likely include correspondence, filing, scheduling, and data entry, but he or she would also assist with facilities maintenance and phone coverage as needed. Implementing, maintaining, and managing the business’ operational systems would require his or her analytical and organizational skills. This includes tasks such as managing the office supply budget, utilizing database systems, and ensuring that broken office equipment is repaired or replaced. A person in this position may be focused on just one other person in the organization, such as managing an executive’s schedule and e-mail.
Supervisory Position
In larger companies, administrative managers may be in charge of a team of clerical workers. In this case, he or she creates office schedules, assigns jobs to people, and ensures that they are completed properly. When special projects arise, the administrative manager is in charge of breaking them down into steps and keeping the project’s team on track. He or she must also conduct staff evaluations and provide training or disciplinary action to employees who do not perform as expected.
Other Specialties and Human Resources
In some companies, an administrative manager may also serve as a human resources representative, handling a variety of employee-related tasks. This includes contract writing, payroll processing, and employee recruitment and training. Each of the administrative managers in a company with a few is usually in charge of a specific area or specialty. For example, an executive office might hire one manager to keep track of all of its higher-ups’ schedules, another to oversee payroll, and yet another to supervise the IT department’s day-to-day operations.