Administrative project assistant vs purchasing administrative assistant

The differences between administrative project assistants and purchasing administrative assistants 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 project assistant and a purchasing administrative assistant. Additionally, an administrative project assistant has an average salary of $41,668, which is higher than the $37,889 average annual salary of a purchasing administrative assistant.

The top three skills for an administrative project assistant include customer service, data entry and powerpoint. The most important skills for a purchasing administrative assistant are purchase orders, data entry, and customer service.

Administrative project assistant vs purchasing administrative assistant overview

	Administrative Project Assistant	Purchasing Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary	$41,668	$37,889
Hourly rate	$20.03	$18.22
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	58,448	48,872
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does an administrative project assistant do?

An administrative project assistant is responsible for supporting the project management operations according to business requirements and client specifications. Administrative project assistants perform administrative duties, such as conducting market research, writing progress reports, updating tracking systems, sorting project documents, and scheduling meetings. They also maintain accurate records of financial transactions, managing the stock inventories, and escalating concerns that would affect the output deliveries. An administrative project assistant must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on data management processes and performing duties under minimal supervision and strict deadlines.

What does a purchasing administrative assistant do?

Purchasing Administrative Assistants will require a high school diploma or GED, but an associate degree or higher is preferred, as well as three or more years in a purchasing role. This career will require skills in communication and negotiation, as well as a proven history of good supply management and the ability to create and administer task priority lists based on the needs of the respective company. Paying an average salary of $42K per year, but ranging between $37K and $49K, this career choice will demand the provision of support to the purchasing process and department staff, processing documents and materials and responding to inquiries, as well as maintaining information and inventories about vendors and sources.

Administrative project assistant vs purchasing administrative assistant salary

Administrative project assistants and purchasing administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrative Project Assistant	Purchasing Administrative Assistant
Average salary	$41,668	$37,889
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $55,000	Between $29,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Milpitas, CA
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Jacobs Engineering Group	Aspen Snowmass
Best paying industry	Construction	Construction

Differences between administrative project assistant and purchasing administrative assistant education

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

	Administrative Project Assistant	Purchasing Administrative Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Administrative project assistant vs purchasing administrative assistant demographics

Here are the differences between administrative project assistants' and purchasing administrative assistants' demographics:

	Administrative Project Assistant	Purchasing Administrative Assistant
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 10.3% Female, 89.7%	Male, 8.3% Female, 91.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between administrative project assistant and purchasing administrative assistant duties and responsibilities

Administrative project assistant example responsibilities.

Manage quality assurance checks for FDA and internal audits which result in no documentation/information error and successful completion of the audits.
Create and maintain project-related SharePoint sites and pages, including updating graphics, uploading resource documents and adding new users.
Prepare presentation materials for meetings, utilizing Microsoft PowerPoint.
Develop creative PowerPoint presentations for company to be present for conferences/conventions.
Eliminate potential errors by establishing an alternate payroll template and process.
Coordinate certified payroll, credit card reconciliation, and travel expense reimbursements.

Purchasing administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
Prepare purchase orders, review requisitions, supply requests and MRP purchase reports.
Assess and close A/P, A/R monthly.
Support A/P by resolving invoice problems.
Verify shipments and check into ERP system.
Certify to internally audit group for ISO compliance.

Administrative project assistant vs purchasing administrative assistant skills

Common administrative project assistant skills

Customer Service, 11%
Data Entry, 10%
PowerPoint, 8%
Project Management, 5%
Meeting Minutes, 4%
Office Equipment, 4%

Common purchasing administrative assistant skills

Purchase Orders, 33%
Data Entry, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Provides Administrative Support, 4%
Office Equipment, 4%
Travel Arrangements, 3%

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Administrative Project Assistant
Administrative Project Assistant vs Purchasing Administrative Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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