What does an associate manager do?

Q: Is an associate higher than a manager?

No, an associate is not higher than a manager. A manager is typically overseeing associate-level roles. The word associate shows that the employee has a lower ranking position than their colleagues who do not have the term in the same title. For example, an associate manager has less seniority than a manager.

Q: What is the difference between an assistant and an associate?

The difference between an assistant and an associate is mostly a matter of context, but the key differences are education and tasks. At the core, an associate's responsibilities within a company vary, and they are more objective-focused. Meanwhile, an assistant is often a second-in-command and a stand-in for managers.

Q: What is the difference between an associate manager and a supervisor?

The primary difference between an associate manager and a supervisor is that an associate manager is higher than a supervisor. Associate managers and supervisors are both leadership roles within a company. They both have an important part in a business's day-to-day activities and the organizational ecosystem.

Updated January 8, 2025

7 min read

Associate managers are responsible for overseeing the support and clerical staff of the company. They recruit and train employees who perform different tasks that include greeting customers, answering phones, and faxing documents. They also perform other duties, including keeping employees' motivation, ensuring that everyone understands the company's guidelines and policies, and supervising other staff members. To be qualified as an associate manager, one should have a high school diploma, leadership skills, and a strong work ethic. One should also have the necessary computer skills, bookkeeping skills, and customer service skills.

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Associate manager responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real associate manager resumes:

Manage payroll interface and process including researching payroll issues and enforcing adherence to audit and department guidelines; develop fit/gap analysis.
Schedule evictions for residents that have no means of paying delinquent rent.
Prepare food for daily plate lunches, take-out orders and in-orders and run kitchen.
Run monthly delinquency report on past due rents and sends notices for lockouts liens & evictions.
Supervise the management of the POS system and approves all cash wrap management, cash auditing, and tip reporting.
Created/Modify PowerPoint presentations for intern training and conferences.
Communicate project status and strategic direction via PowerPoint presentations.
Monitor daily operations, which result in successfully lowering and maintaining food and payroll cost below company policy.
Direct inbound and outbound logistics operations, such as transportation or warehouse activities, safety performance, and logistics quality management.
Supervise all associates including on-boarding ASM.
Audit teller drawers and negotiable items, balance the ATM, service the coin machine, and balance the vault.

Associate manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 42% of Associate Managers are proficient in PET, POS, and Sales Floor. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Management skills.

We break down the percentage of Associate Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

PET, 42%
Worked with other team members maintaining the daily operations of a Pet Retail establishment.
POS, 6%
Maintained Inventory and POS software to ensure effective operations and financial reporting
Sales Floor, 5%
Maintained accountability for sales floor leadership, using keys and overrides and financial indicators to monitor individual and team progress.
Product Knowledge, 4%
Created and facilitated training classes in Brand Equity, Product Knowledge, Goal Setting, Coaching, Counseling and Leadership Training.
Payroll, 4%
Managed payroll interface and processed including researching payroll issues and enforcing adherence to audit and department guidelines; developed fit/gap analysis.
Human Resources, 4%
Plan and execute human resources initiatives including identifying staffing needs and executing recruitment, orientation, training and development programs.

Common skills that an associate manager uses to do their job include "pet," "pos," and "sales floor." You can find details on the most important associate manager responsibilities below.

Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for an associate manager to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." Additionally, an associate manager resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "managed additional operational activities; including repairs and maintenance, loss prevention, store communications, and response to corporate directives. "

Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling associate manager duties is leadership skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "top executives must be able to shape and direct an organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources." According to an associate manager resume, here's how associate managers can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "played major role in store operations and also in floor leadership. "

Problem-solving skills. For certain associate manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of an associate manager rely on this skill, as "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what associate managers do: "contacted and resolved accounts in tax compliance organization (tco), accounts payable, and payroll line offices. "

Time-management skills. A commonly-found skill in associate manager job descriptions, "time-management skills" is essential to what associate managers do. Associate manager responsibilities rely on this skill because "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." You can also see how associate manager duties rely on time-management skills in this resume example: "supported the store manager and assistant manager in a high-volume workload within a deadline-driven environment by generating sales and store operations. "

See the full list of associate manager skills

The three companies that hire the most associate managers are:

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Compare different associate managers

Associate manager vs. General manager

A general manager is responsible for handling the overall operations in the business. General managers manage the staff tasks efficiently, monitor the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, implement new strategies to improve the business performance, recognize the team's best efforts, and effective allocation of budget resources. A general manager must have excellent communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills to identify areas of improvement in handling customer complaints, connecting with vendors and other lines of businesses that will direct the company towards its successful objectives.

If we compare the average associate manager annual salary with that of a general manager, we find that general managers typically earn a $11,665 lower salary than associate managers make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both associate manager and general manager positions are skilled in pos, payroll, and human resources.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between associate managers and general manager. For instance, associate manager responsibilities require skills such as "pet," "sales floor," "product knowledge," and "store opening." Whereas a general manager is skilled in "cleanliness," "food safety," "math," and "ladders." This is part of what separates the two careers.

General managers really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $74,849. Comparatively, associate managers tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $93,690.On average, general managers reach similar levels of education than associate managers. General managers are 1.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Associate manager vs. Operations manager

Operations managers are in charge of running the main business of the organization. They ensure that the business is running smoothly from an operations standpoint. They make sure that the processes in place produce the necessary output by implementing quality control measures. They also manage finances and ensure that there is enough budget to keep the operations of the business running. They also ensure that the production of goods or services is cost-efficient. Operations managers also handle people-related concerns. They are responsible for interviewing candidates, choosing the ones to hire, and ensuring that individuals assigned to operations are properly trained.

On average, operations managers earn a $6,352 lower salary than associate managers a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Associate managers and operations managers both require similar skills like "pos," "payroll," and "human resources" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, associate manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "pet," "sales floor," "product knowledge," and "store opening." Meanwhile, an operations manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "logistics," "continuous improvement," "project management," and "process improvement." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Operations managers may earn a lower salary than associate managers, but operations managers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $96,779. On the other hand, associate managers receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $93,690.In general, operations managers achieve similar levels of education than associate managers. They're 0.6% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Learn more about associate managers vs operations managers.

Associate manager vs. Manager

Managers are responsible for a specific department, function, or employee group. They oversee their assigned departments and all the employees under the department. Managers are responsible that the department they are handling is functioning well. They set the department goals and the steps they must take to achieve the goals. They are also in charge of assessing the performance of their departments and their employees. Additionally, managers are responsible for interviewing prospective candidates for department vacancies and assessing their fit to the needs of the department. Managers also set the general working environment in the department, and they are expected to ensure that their employees remain motivated.

On average scale, managers bring in lower salaries than associate managers. In fact, they earn a $24,595 lower salary per year.By looking over several associate managers and managers resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "pos," "sales floor," and "product knowledge." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from associate manager resumes include skills like "pet," "store opening," "switches," and "digital marketing," whereas a manager is more likely to list skills in "food safety," "management," "leadership," and "business development. "

Managers earn the highest salary when working in the finance industry, where they receive an average salary of $71,781. Comparatively, associate managers have the highest earning potential in the finance industry, with an average salary of $93,690.When it comes to education, managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to associate managers. In fact, they're 1.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Associate manager vs. Co-manager/store manager

A co-manager/store manager oversees the daily operations of a store, ensuring smooth workflow and customer satisfaction. They are in charge of setting goals and sales targets, establishing guidelines and timelines, delegating responsibilities among staff, and developing strategies to optimize store operations. They are also responsible for monitoring all store activities, addressing issues and concerns, and resolving them promptly and efficiently. Moreover, as a co-manager/store manager, it is essential to manage and supervise staff, leading them to reach goals while implementing the store's policies and regulations.

Co-manager/store managers average a lower salary than the annual salary of associate managers. The difference is about $41,730 per year.While their salaries may vary, associate managers and co-manager/store managers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "pos," "sales floor," and "product knowledge. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. An associate manager uses "pet," "store opening," "switches," and "powerpoint." Co-manager/store managers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "cleanliness," "merchandise presentation," "financial performance," and "drive sales. "co-manager/store managers reach similar levels of education compared to associate managers, in general. The difference is that they're 3.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.