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Departmental assistant vs project assistant

The differences between departmental assistants and project assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a departmental assistant and a project assistant. Additionally, a departmental assistant has an average salary of $39,690, which is higher than the $38,564 average annual salary of a project assistant.

The top three skills for a departmental assistant include HR, chemistry and data analysis. The most important skills for a project assistant are data entry, powerpoint, and customer service.

Departmental assistant vs project assistant overview

Departmental AssistantProject Assistant
Yearly salary$39,690$38,564
Hourly rate$19.08$18.54
Growth rate-8%-8%
Number of jobs34,48059,664
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age5050
Years of experience22

Departmental assistant vs project assistant salary

Departmental assistants and project assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Departmental AssistantProject Assistant
Average salary$39,690$38,564
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $55,000Between $25,000 And $57,000
Highest paying CitySanta Barbara, CAPortland, OR
Highest paying stateHawaiiOregon
Best paying companyUniversity of Massachusetts BostonAstraZeneca
Best paying industryManufacturingTechnology

Differences between departmental assistant and project assistant education

There are a few differences between a departmental assistant and a project assistant in terms of educational background:

Departmental AssistantProject Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityWestern Carolina University

Departmental assistant vs project assistant demographics

Here are the differences between departmental assistants' and project assistants' demographics:

Departmental AssistantProject Assistant
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 29.5% Female, 70.5%Male, 32.9% Female, 67.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between departmental assistant and project assistant duties and responsibilities

Departmental assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage and develop the daily clinical schedule for the in-patient rehabilitation staff taking into consideration Medicare guidelines and staffing ratios.
  • Input appointments into HRIS (HCM- PeopleSoft) and maintain all HRIS records; process student and limit payroll in
  • Attend various meetings, take dictation, write up and distribute minutes.
  • Process employee time and payroll - records, adjustments, travel and other reimbursable payments.
  • Create and curate social media presence of the department on Instagram, Facebook and Tumblr.
  • Tutor primarily engineering students in the subjects of engineering, physics, math, chemistry, and biology.
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Project assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage SharePoint document repository and ensure that project managers comply with PMO policies.
  • Manage facilities by coordinating relocation of departments by using the facilities management database and VISIO.
  • Compose and balance departmental grants, tabulate and process payroll distribution, manage and maintain office routine during supervisor's absence.
  • Manage QA budget for assign projects by identifying actual and potential budget over-runs and under-runs, develop and monitor project/program plans.
  • Create a useful project tracking tool call JIRA.
  • Communicate with donors via phone, email, and twitter.
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Departmental assistant vs project assistant skills

Common departmental assistant skills
  • HR, 20%
  • Chemistry, 19%
  • Data Analysis, 12%
  • Word Processing, 9%
  • Routine Correspondence, 6%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 4%
Common project assistant skills
  • Data Entry, 11%
  • PowerPoint, 8%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Project Management, 8%
  • Meeting Minutes, 4%
  • Data Collection, 4%

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