Department administrator vs department manager

The differences between department administrators and department managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a department administrator, becoming a department manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a department manager has an average salary of $67,160, which is higher than the $49,768 average annual salary of a department administrator.

The top three skills for a department administrator include patient care, patients and financial reports. The most important skills for a department manager are inventory management, sales promotions, and cleanliness.

Department administrator vs department manager overview

	Department Administrator	Department Manager
Yearly salary	$49,768	$67,160
Hourly rate	$23.93	$32.29
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	84,441	330,327
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	6

What does a department administrator do?

Department administrators are professionals who are responsible for performing administrative and clerical tasks for a specific department within an organization. These administrators are required to prepare financial statements for clients while evaluating revisions through feedback with stakeholders. They must work with the human resources department to recruit and identify workers for retraining and skill upgrades. Department administrators must also develop and streamline departmental policies and processes so that they can ensure efficiency, productivity, and accountability.

What does a department manager do?

Department managers oversee the operations of the department they are assigned to. They manage all aspects of the operation, including finance, sales, quality control, and human resources. They set department goals and the steps the team needs to take to ensure that the goals are met. Department managers are also in charge of training team members so that these team members will be able to work together harmoniously. They should also be able to keep the team's goal in sight and adjust their strategy as needed.

Department administrator vs department manager salary

Department administrators and department managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Department Administrator	Department Manager
Average salary	$49,768	$67,160
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $72,000	Between $39,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	South San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Alaska	New Jersey
Best paying company	MacArthur Foundation	Ralph Lauren
Best paying industry	Energy	Manufacturing

Differences between department administrator and department manager education

There are a few differences between a department administrator and a department manager in terms of educational background:

	Department Administrator	Department Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Department administrator vs department manager demographics

Here are the differences between department administrators' and department managers' demographics:

	Department Administrator	Department Manager
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7%	Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between department administrator and department manager duties and responsibilities

Department administrator example responsibilities.

Manage calendars, correspondence, logs, reports and maintain documentation in Prolog.
Lead implementation of local area network and upgrade of scheduling, billing and A/R software.
Manage patient records ensuring confidentiality and compliance with all HIPAA regulations.
Initiate and manage the implementation of facilities management oversight of external properties.
Direct Medicaid health plan management division activities (manage care program operations, quality improvement, and contract administration).
Verify vendor quotes and resolve invoice discrepancies.

Department manager example responsibilities.

Participate in company's ISO certification program, successfully achieving ISO [] and AS9100 certification.
Manage and delegate over lumber-building materials department including millwork department.
Manage electronics, wireless connection center, layaway and online order/pickup departments.
Develop schedules; manage payroll; multitask extensively to ensure competing requirements are complete.
Monitor and maximize sales and payroll by identifying sales opportunities and managing controllable expenses.
Manage geotechnical aspects of an EIR/EIS for a coastal development in an environmentally sensitive lagoon.

Department administrator vs department manager skills

Common department administrator skills

Patient Care, 10%
Patients, 10%
Financial Reports, 7%
Human Resources, 6%
Payroll, 6%
Departmental Policies, 5%

Common department manager skills

Inventory Management, 38%
Sales Promotions, 17%
Cleanliness, 13%
Customer Service, 8%
Sales Floor, 3%
Product Knowledge, 2%

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Department Administrator
Department Administrator vs Department Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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