How To Become An Assistant Department Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is an assistant department manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

How many times have you met your Department Manager? Quite rarely, but still, they manage to know everybody's roles and outputs. Assistant Department Managers are the superheroes that help distribute the work, evaluate performances, and call for seminars, training, and events. In short, they oversee all daily departmental activities with the help of the Senior Department Manager.

Most people who pursue this career have a Bachelor's Degree in marketing or finance. In addition to that, strong leadership, communication, and analytical skills are also required. Also, to reach the post of Assistant Department Manager, you need experience, along with a healthy academic background. And once you have worked that hard to be an Assistant on the post, you are well paid.

While on the job, you can make $31 per hour. And by working 43 hours a week, your annual income can amount to up to $64,254. Just like other office jobs, it's a 9-5 engagement. But, in case of an extensive workload, you have to work late hours along with your team members.

ScoreAssistant Department ManagerUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,686

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.4

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.65%

Asian 7.02%

Black or African American 8.60%

Hispanic or Latino 17.15%

Unknown 4.66%

White 61.92%

Gender

female 49.59%

male 50.41%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress Level

9.4

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

5.2

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an assistant department manager

Explore assistant department manager education requirements

Most common assistant department manager degrees

Bachelor's

58.4 %

Associate

19.9 %

High School Diploma

12.0 %

Start to develop specific assistant department manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Standard Operating Procedure	16.31%
Customer Service	10.30%
Work Ethic	10.20%
Sales Associates	7.51%
Payroll	6.47%

Complete relevant assistant department manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New assistant department managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an assistant department manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real assistant department manager resumes.

Gain additional assistant department manager certifications

Assistant department manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific assistant department manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for assistant department managers include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.

More About Certifications

Research assistant department manager duties and responsibilities

Manage daily operations, approve and monitor payroll management system for non-exempt staff and student assistants.
Implement inventory management system to effectively manage on-hands, assist with correct replenishment and maintain an acceptable level of over-stock.
Help and teach employees with using slicers, fryers, and serving customers.
Reconcile payments using POS software including credit, cash, exchanges, returns and gift card purchases.

Prepare your assistant department manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your assistant department manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an assistant department manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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