Administrative manager vs executive assistant

The differences between administrative managers and executive assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an administrative manager, becoming an executive assistant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an administrative manager has an average salary of $70,394, which is higher than the $50,539 average annual salary of an executive assistant.

The top three skills for an administrative manager include customer service, office procedures and human resources. The most important skills for an executive assistant are powerpoint, customer service, and phone calls.

Administrative manager vs executive assistant overview

	Administrative Manager	Executive Assistant
Yearly salary	$70,394	$50,539
Hourly rate	$33.84	$24.30
Growth rate	7%	-8%
Number of jobs	42,602	93,116
Job satisfaction	-	4.4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	50	49
Years of experience	2	4

What does an administrative manager do?

An administrative manager is an employee responsible for supervising an organization's standard clerical and administrative process such as faxing, photocopying, and liaise between employees and the management. Executive managers would assist human resource (HR) professionals in recruiting and training new administrative employees and reporting their government's progress. They help organize meeting schedules of different departments and assists with various events. They also respond to incoming communications and create written and typed reports such as memos and business letters.

What does an executive assistant do?

Executive assistants are employees who are assigned to work under the supervision of company executives. They manage the activities of the executives they are assigned to by manning the executive's calendar, scheduling appointments, setting meetings, ensuring that the executives are familiar with their schedule for the day, and taking note of any deliverable that may be needed. They are also responsible for taking care of any document or paperwork that the executive needs, as well as preparing presentation materials or briefers for meetings. Executive assistants are also usually exposed to actual company operations to further understand how the business works and to be of better help to the executive.

Administrative manager vs executive assistant salary

Administrative managers and executive assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrative Manager	Executive Assistant
Average salary	$70,394	$50,539
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $104,000	Between $35,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New York
Best paying company	Databricks	Meta
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between administrative manager and executive assistant education

There are a few differences between an administrative manager and an executive assistant in terms of educational background:

	Administrative Manager	Executive Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Western Carolina University

Administrative manager vs executive assistant demographics

Here are the differences between administrative managers' and executive assistants' demographics:

	Administrative Manager	Executive Assistant
Average age	50	49
Gender ratio	Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 4.3% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	5%	10%

Differences between administrative manager and executive assistant duties and responsibilities

Administrative manager example responsibilities.

Manage the virtual platform to include existing/future content sites and SharePoint portals.
Manage the division s conversion to PeopleSoft, defining data elements and report design.
Process payroll with ADP, manage employee benefits and maintain all relate data base systems.
Manage all benefit RFP's, new vendor implementations and require system changes and upgrades.
Lead and direct CMS, AHCA, JACHO accreditation process resulting in a deficiency free survey.
Manage accounts payable (A/P) and accounts receivable (A/R), match invoices to receipt and checks.

Executive assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain AVP calendar and schedule using independent judgment.
Manage and review WinStar (KRONOS) time clock hours for hourly union employees.
Organize and manage administrative, audio/visual (WebEx, GoToMeeting), and catering of department meetings.
Manage the scope of accounting processes including billing, bookkeeping and expense data management with strong oversight of A/R and A/P.
Create and manage executive presentations using Visio and PowerPoint.
Compile, manage and organize travel and expense reports processing and submitting reports using PeopleSoft for reimbursement.

Administrative manager vs executive assistant skills

Common administrative manager skills

Customer Service, 16%
Office Procedures, 9%
Human Resources, 7%
Patients, 7%
Oversight, 6%
Financial Statements, 5%

Common executive assistant skills

PowerPoint, 13%
Customer Service, 8%
Phone Calls, 6%
Calendar Management, 6%
Administrative Tasks, 3%
Financial Reports, 3%

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Administrative Manager
Administrative Manager vs Executive Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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