Department administrator vs office administrator

The differences between department administrators and office administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a department administrator and an office administrator. Additionally, a department administrator has an average salary of $49,768, which is higher than the $37,423 average annual salary of an office administrator.

The top three skills for a department administrator include patient care, patients and financial reports. The most important skills for an office administrator are customer service, patients, and data entry.

Department administrator vs office administrator overview

	Department Administrator	Office Administrator
Yearly salary	$49,768	$37,423
Hourly rate	$23.93	$17.99
Growth rate	5%	-5%
Number of jobs	84,441	118,096
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	43	47
Years of experience	2	2

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 an office administrator do?

Office administrators are employees who ensure that the office is running in tip-top shape. They manage the administrative needs of the office. They answer calls directed to the official company phone, manage the inventory of supplies, take charge or purchase requisitions for needed supplies, and ensure the office equipment and fixtures are taken care of. Office administrators also manage correspondences, official memoranda, and other official company documents. They also keep track of files and records to ensure that these are properly organized. At times, office administrators also take charge of welcoming guests and accompanying them to their respective meetings.

Department administrator vs office administrator salary

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

	Department Administrator	Office Administrator
Average salary	$49,768	$37,423
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $72,000	Between $28,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	South San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	MacArthur Foundation	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Energy	Government

Differences between department administrator and office administrator education

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

	Department Administrator	Office Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Western Carolina University

Department administrator vs office administrator demographics

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

	Department Administrator	Office Administrator
Average age	43	47
Gender ratio	Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7%	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%
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, 10.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	9%	6%

Differences between department administrator and office administrator 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.

Office administrator example responsibilities.

Monitor calls, manage calendars, travel, meeting arrangements, video conference and teleconferencing.
Formulate various procedures to assure efficient operation of the SharePoint system is managed properly for CFWB and BOS.
Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Pull patients charts for doctors using EMR system as well as pulled chart from medical records room.
Create and update all departmental ISO documents.
Collect all outgoing FedEx overnight packages and ship with accurate tracking and conformation information.

Department administrator vs office administrator skills

Common department administrator skills

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

Common office administrator skills

Customer Service, 18%
Patients, 11%
Data Entry, 8%
Office Equipment, 5%
Front Desk, 4%
PowerPoint, 3%

Department Administrator vs. similar jobs

Department Administrator related careers

Department Administrator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Computer and Mathematical Industry
Department Administrator
Department Administrator vs Office Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse computer and mathematical jobs