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What does a county administrator do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

A county administrator oversees the day-to-day activities of a county government, ensuring operations run smoothly and efficiently. Their responsibilities often entail developing and reviewing plans for different projects, assessing the budget for various departments, implementing programs, and communicating with department heads and the public. They also manage and supervise administrative staff, attend events like council meetings and public dialogues, and take part in relief operations during emergencies.

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County administrator responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real county administrator resumes:

  • Establish operating policies and procedures and attain SNF Medicare certification.
  • Re-Establish the QA committee and institute continuous quality improvement activities with resulting impact on the facility's regulatory compliance history.
  • Process all source documents, ensuring accuracy, creating invoices using QuickBooks including monthly bank reconciliation.

County administrator skills and personality traits

We calculated that 12% of County Administrators are proficient in County Government, Service Delivery, and Federal Laws. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Management skills, and Time-management skills.

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

  • County Government, 12%

    Prepared financial budgets for county government agencies.

  • Service Delivery, 12%

    Spearheaded reorganization efforts to streamline service delivery and reduce cost in Code, Zoning, and Building Departments and Housing Department.

  • Federal Laws, 8%

    finance, local legislation, state and federal laws, etc.)

  • Public Works, 6%

    Supervised the City Secretary, department directors of court, community development, finance, information technology, and public works.

  • Financial Management, 5%

    Served as a President's Council Member responsible for hospital-wide decisions regarding quality issues, financial management, and strategic initiatives.

  • County Services, 5%

    Provided leadership to ensure stable growth of county services to meet the needs of the third fastest growing county in Ohio.

Common skills that a county administrator uses to do their job include "county government," "service delivery," and "federal laws." You can find details on the most important county administrator responsibilities below.

Leadership skills. The most essential soft skill for a county administrator to carry out their responsibilities is leadership skills. This skill is important for the role because "top executives must be able to shape and direct an organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources." Additionally, a county administrator resume shows how their duties depend on leadership skills: "provided leadership to ensure stable growth of county services to meet the needs of the third fastest growing county in ohio. "

Time-management skills. county administrators are also known for time-management skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to county administrator responsibilities, because "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." A county administrator resume example shows how time-management skills is used in the workplace: "created electronic filing system which allowed access to financial reports, general correspondence and project and corporate deadlines. "

Problem-solving skills. A big part of what county administrators do relies on "problem-solving skills." You can see how essential it is to county administrator responsibilities because "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical county administrator tasks: "prepared statistical reports and recommend solutions to management. "

Communication skills. Another common skill required for county administrator responsibilities is "communication skills." This skill comes up in the duties of county administrators all the time, as "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." An excerpt from a real county administrator resume shows how this skill is central to what a county administrator does: "delivered accurate reports, clear presentations, informational press releases, appealing marketing materials, and e-communication newsletters. "

See the full list of county administrator skills

Compare different county administrators

County administrator vs. Vice president

Vice presidents are usually considered the second-in-command in the organization, depending on the organization structure. They take over when the president is unavailable to fulfill duties. They may also represent the organization in external events and other official functions. They are important members of the boardroom, and their opinions are usually sought after as well. Vice presidents are usually poised to follow the president's footsteps in the organization, especially if the president is nearing retirement. They also make urgent and crucial decisions when the president is not available to do so. Vice presidents must have strong business acumen, decision-making skills, and professionalism.

The annual salary of vice presidents is $69,299 higher than the average salary of county administrators.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both county administrator and vice president positions are skilled in financial statements, payroll, and human resources.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, county administrator responsibilities require skills like "county government," "service delivery," "federal laws," and "public works." Meanwhile a typical vice president has skills in areas such as "healthcare," "oversight," "project management," and "customer service." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Vice presidents earn the highest salaries when working in the manufacturing industry, with an average yearly salary of $159,773. On the other hand, county administrators are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $98,755.On average, vice presidents reach lower levels of education than county administrators. Vice presidents are 5.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

County administrator vs. President

Presidents are usually the highest-level executives in an organization. They oversee the whole company. They identify clear goals and provide strategic direction as the company works towards the achievement of their overall vision. Presidents are the decision-makers in the company. They make crucial decisions to ensure that the company continues to grow and survives challenges that come their way. They are expected to consider all stakeholders, from the board of directors and employees to the customers in their decision-making process. Presidents also represent the company in external functions, especially during high-level events. As such, they are expected to be professional, well-mannered, and good communicators.

A career as a president brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a county administrator. In fact, presidents salary is $102,991 higher than the salary of county administrators per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. County administrators and presidents both require similar skills like "financial management," "financial statements," and "payroll" to carry out their responsibilities.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that county administrator responsibilities requires skills like "county government," "service delivery," "federal laws," and "public works." But a president might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "product development," "r," "business plan," and "alumni."

Average education levels between the two professions vary. Presidents tend to reach lower levels of education than county administrators. In fact, they're 7.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

County administrator vs. Senior vice president

A Senior Vice President's responsibilities vary according to the company or organization. Still, it mostly revolves around overseeing and leading a particular department's activities and operations, reporting to the president and the board, evaluating the progress and performances of teams and employees, and maintaining constant communication with staff and management. Furthermore, A Senior Vice President is also involved in forming strategies that would benefit the sales of the company, seek innovative options, review documents, and ensure that the operations are up to the standards of the company's policies and regulations.

On average scale, senior vice presidents bring in higher salaries than county administrators. In fact, they earn a $105,432 higher salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on county administrators and senior vice presidents resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "financial statements," "human resources," and "strategic plan.rdquo;

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from county administrator resumes include skills like "county government," "service delivery," "federal laws," and "public works," whereas a senior vice president is more likely to list skills in "financial services," "svp," "oversight," and "healthcare. "

Senior vice presidents make a very good living in the media industry with an average annual salary of $183,285. On the other hand, county administrators are paid the highest salary in the finance industry, with average annual pay of $98,755.When it comes to education, senior vice presidents tend to earn similar degree levels compared to county administrators. In fact, they're 1.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

County administrator vs. Owner

Owners, in the most basic sense, own the business, company, or organization. They are responsible for building the business. They create business plans and the general vision and mission of the company, set goals, work on these goals, and ensure that the business keeps running. They manage all aspects of their business, from finances to marketing to people, etc. When the business becomes stable, owners eventually hire more employees. As such, owners also become overseers who would ensure that the organization remains afloat.

Owners typically earn higher pay than county administrators. On average, owners earn a $996 higher salary per year.According to resumes from county administrators and owners, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "financial statements," "payroll," and "human resources. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A county administrator uses "county government," "service delivery," "federal laws," and "public works." Owners are more likely to have duties that require skills in "customer service," "product development," "windows," and "business management. "In general, owners hold lower degree levels compared to county administrators. Owners are 11.9% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of county administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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