Chief of staff vs chief administrative officer

The differences between chiefs of staff and chief administrative officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a chief of staff, becoming a chief administrative officer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a chief administrative officer has an average salary of $174,185, which is higher than the $130,835 average annual salary of a chief of staff.

The top three skills for a chief of staff include PET, team support and project management. The most important skills for a chief administrative officer are human resources, oversight, and financial management.

Chief of staff vs chief administrative officer overview

	Chief Of Staff	Chief Administrative Officer
Yearly salary	$130,835	$174,185
Hourly rate	$62.90	$83.74
Growth rate	6%	7%
Number of jobs	124,272	123,074
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	52	50
Years of experience	-	2

What does a chief of staff do?

A chief of staff primarily supports an executive through performing various administrative tasks. Most of their responsibilities revolve around collaborating with other executive support personnel to devise strategies that will help the company, responding to inquiries and correspondence, approving communications letters, managing schedules, setting appointments, and serving as an advisor to the executive. Furthermore, when it comes to issues and disputes, the chief of staff must be quick to conduct research and perform damage control to help the executive and the company rise from the occasion.

What does a chief administrative officer do?

A chief administrative officer's responsibilities revolve around overseeing the company's daily operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They typically devise strategies to improve workforce performance, perform research and analysis to identify new business opportunities, prepare progress and financial reports, delegate tasks to department managers, and set objectives for them to uphold. Furthermore, as a chief administrative officer, it is essential to lead and encourage different departments to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations, recommending new ones as needed.

Chief of staff vs chief administrative officer salary

Chiefs of staff and chief administrative officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chief Of Staff	Chief Administrative Officer
Average salary	$130,835	$174,185
Salary range	Between $85,000 And $200,000	Between $109,000 And $277,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Chicago, IL
Highest paying state	California	Vermont
Best paying company	Lyft	Bon Secours Community Hospital
Best paying industry	Start-up	Health Care

Differences between chief of staff and chief administrative officer education

There are a few differences between a chief of staff and a chief administrative officer in terms of educational background:

	Chief Of Staff	Chief Administrative Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Chief of staff vs chief administrative officer demographics

Here are the differences between chiefs of staff' and chief administrative officers' demographics:

	Chief Of Staff	Chief Administrative Officer
Average age	52	50
Gender ratio	Male, 62.0% Female, 38.0%	Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	5%

Differences between chief of staff and chief administrative officer duties and responsibilities

Chief of staff example responsibilities.

Lead headquarters (HQ) operations staff.
Manage the G3's fiscal year budget planning, formulation, and execution.
Supervise the G2 administrative section and maintain and manage the G2 budget and material resources.
Manage the predeployment training and the deployment process to receiving commands, and subsequent redeployment and deactivation.
Manage budgets of $75,000 to $22 million paying keen attention to cost containment and ROI.
Credit for managing and improving the HAZMAT program, which serve as a benchmark example for the base community.

Chief administrative officer example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain database (FMP), sales sheets and track windows.
Manage and supervise the accounting and bookkeeping functions including budgeting, payroll and inventory.
Coordinate outside CPA review and year-end closing.
Develop systematic procedures for the effective use of the ERP system.
Review and report survey feedback findings to state Medicaid and other agencies, utilizing information to make call center improvements.
Implement major ERP software project enhancements design to further streamline operations.

Chief of staff vs chief administrative officer skills

Common chief of staff skills

PET, 15%
Team Support, 11%
Project Management, 8%
Oversight, 7%
Direct Reports, 6%
Marketing Campaigns, 6%

Common chief administrative officer skills

Human Resources, 12%
Oversight, 11%
Financial Management, 8%
Payroll, 5%
Risk Management, 5%
Strategic Direction, 4%

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Chief Of Staff vs Chief Administrative Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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