Administrative Services Manager

Summary

Administrative services managers plan, direct, and coordinate activities that help an organization run efficiently.

 

What they do

The specific responsibilities vary, but these managers typically maintain facilities and supervise activities that include recordkeeping, mail distribution, and office upkeep. In a small organization, they may direct all support services and may be called the business office manager. Large organizations may have several layers of administrative managers who specialize in different areas.

Administrative services managers typically do the following:

  • Supervise clerical and administrative staff
  • Set goals and deadlines for their department
  • Develop, manage, and monitor records
  • Recommend changes to policies or procedures in order to improve operations, such as reassessing supplies or recordkeeping
  • Monitor facilities to make sure that they remain safe, secure, and well maintained
  • Oversee the maintenance and repair of machinery, equipment, and electrical and mechanical systems
  • Make sure that facilities meet environmental, health, and security standards and comply with regulations

Administrative services managers plan, coordinate, and direct a broad range of activities that allow organizations to run efficiently. An organization may have several managers who oversee services for multiple departments, such as mail, printing and copying, recordkeeping, security, building maintenance, and recycling.

 

Work Environment

Administrative services managers spend much of their day in an office. They may observe workers throughout the building, go outdoors to supervise groundskeeping activities, or visit other facilities they direct.

 

How to become an Administrative Services Manager

Although educational requirements for administrative services managers vary by organization and the work they do, they usually must have a bachelor’s degree and related work experience.

Administrative services managers typically need a bachelor’s degree, usually in business or a related field. However, some people enter the occupation with a high school diploma.

Administrative services managers must have related work experience that reflects managerial and leadership abilities. Facilities managers should have experience in business operations, project management, and building maintenance, such as from jobs as a general maintenance and repair worker or a cost estimator. Records and information managers should have administrative or business operations experience involving recordkeeping. Records and information managers in the legal field often must have experience as a paralegal or legal assistant.

 

Pay

The median annual wage for administrative services managers was $96,940 in May 2019. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $55,210, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $166,330.

 

Job Outlook

Employment of administrative services managers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations. Administrative tasks, including facilities management and records and information management, will remain important in a range of industries.

A continuing focus on the environmental impact and energy efficiency of buildings will keep facilities managers in demand.

 

Similar Job Titles

Administrative Coordinator, Administrative Director, Administrative Manager, Administrative Officer, Administrative Specialist, Administrator, Business Administrator, Business Manager, Facilities Manager, Office Manager

 

Related Occupations

Gaming Manager; Administrative Director; Property, Real Estate and Community Association Manager; Wholesale and Retail Buyer; First-Line Supervisor of Office and Administrative Support Workers; Procurement Clerk

 

More Information

The trade associations listed below represent organizations made up of people (members) who work and promote advancement in the field.  Members are very interested in telling others about their work and about careers in those areas.  As well, trade associations provide opportunities for organizational networking and learning more about the field’s trends and directions.

 

Magazines and Publications

Every organization needs the appropriate facilities, services, and supplies to do its work and keep operations running. Administrative services managers make sure everything their organization needs is in place ahead of time. While positions at smaller organizations may include oversight of all aspects of administration, including supervision of administrative staff… in larger organizations, their duties tend to be more specialized. Many administrative service managers oversee the maintenance of buildings, grounds, and environmental practices. Others supervise activities that include recordkeeping, mail distribution, printing and copying, as well as office upkeep. Administrative services managers also plan for maintenance and the future replacement of equipment, such as computers. They may recommend buying new or different equipment and supplies to lower energy costs or improve indoor air quality. Typically, administrative services managers work full time, in organizations such as school districts, healthcare facilities, and government agencies. They may leave the office to inspect facilities and supervise maintenance activities. Candidates for this field generally need a bachelor’s degree and related work experience that shows management and leadership ability. For some positions, a high school diploma and significant work experience in roles such as facility management, or technical positions, may be enough.

Content retrieved from: US Bureau of Labor Statistic  www.bls.gov/ooh,
CareerOneStop www.careeronestop.org, O*Net Online www.onetonline.org