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Administrative officer vs supervisor

The differences between administrative officers and supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an administrative officer and a supervisor. Additionally, an administrative officer has an average salary of $64,338, which is higher than the $53,902 average annual salary of a supervisor.

The top three skills for an administrative officer include veterans, human resources and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a supervisor are customer service, safety procedures, and sales floor.

Administrative officer vs supervisor overview

Administrative OfficerSupervisor
Yearly salary$64,338$53,902
Hourly rate$30.93$25.91
Growth rate-8%-
Number of jobs98,238224,920
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age5046
Years of experience22

What does an administrative officer do?

An administrative officer is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the company's operations and maintain efficient production. Administrative officers should have excellent office management principles, handling various tasks under minimal supervision and strict deadline. They must be detail-oriented, especially on data processing systems, to encode information and update the company's documents. An administrative officer should be highly-communicative to respond to customers' inquiries and concerns, negotiate with suppliers and third-party vendors, scheduling meetings, and creating business transaction reports.

What does a supervisor do?

Supervisors are responsible for overseeing the daily functions of employees in a specific team, department, or even a work shift. They create work schedules, organize work processes and workflows, train new hires, provide necessary reports related to the team function and the employees, monitor and evaluate employee performance, and ensure that goals of the specific team or department are met. When needed, supervisors also provide guidance to employees in terms of their career or even personal challenges. They also help in fostering harmonious work relationships by resolving interpersonal conflicts at work. To be successful in their role, they must have leadership skills, time management skills, decision-making capabilities, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills.

Administrative officer vs supervisor salary

Administrative officers and supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Administrative OfficerSupervisor
Average salary$64,338$53,902
Salary rangeBetween $40,000 And $103,000Between $31,000 And $92,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateOregonAlaska
Best paying companyUBSReed Smith
Best paying industryFinanceHealth Care

Differences between administrative officer and supervisor education

There are a few differences between an administrative officer and a supervisor in terms of educational background:

Administrative OfficerSupervisor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityStanford University

Administrative officer vs supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between administrative officers' and supervisors' demographics:

Administrative OfficerSupervisor
Average age5046
Gender ratioMale, 42.8% Female, 57.2%Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between administrative officer and supervisor duties and responsibilities

Administrative officer example responsibilities.

  • Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
  • Assist veterans during registration and authentication processes.
  • Develop agendas and PowerPoint presentations for c-level executives.
  • Interview patients before surgery/examinations and inform patients of necessary requirements before procedures.
  • Schedule appointments and meetings and oversee all travel logistics for senior management.
  • Communicate with outside vendors for probationer's drug rehabilitation, domestic violence, and education.
  • Show more

Supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Lead continuous process improvement and six sigma teams to meet ISO 9001 and QS 9000 standards.
  • Manage and implement merchandising strategy for POS marketing and display inventory.
  • Lead comprehensive training for each new volunteer or court-mandate worker regarding OSHA regulations and warehouse procedure.
  • Organize care with 6 CNAs.
  • Coordinate lifeguard duty schedule for all pools.
  • Maintain cleanliness throughout kitchen, coolers, and freezer areas.
  • Show more

Administrative officer vs supervisor skills

Common administrative officer skills
  • Veterans, 9%
  • Human Resources, 9%
  • Rehabilitation, 5%
  • Personnel Actions, 5%
  • Financial Management, 5%
  • Patients, 5%
Common supervisor skills
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Safety Procedures, 9%
  • Sales Floor, 9%
  • POS, 9%
  • Direct Supervision, 9%
  • Payroll, 5%

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