Executive secretary vs senior secretary

The differences between executive secretaries and senior secretaries can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an executive secretary and a senior secretary. Additionally, an executive secretary has an average salary of $46,594, which is higher than the $33,120 average annual salary of a senior secretary.

The top three skills for an executive secretary include office procedures, payroll and word processing. The most important skills for a senior secretary are patients, routine correspondence, and data entry.

Executive secretary vs senior secretary overview

	Executive Secretary	Senior Secretary
Yearly salary	$46,594	$33,120
Hourly rate	$22.40	$15.92
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	103,802	37,284
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	4	4

What does an executive secretary do?

The primary role of executive secretaries is to provide clerical support to an executive or a high-level administrator. They are the ones who conduct the different administrative support tasks for executives which include managing the calendar of executives, answering phone calls, conducting research and sorting important files, preparing and proofreading monthly reports and industry documents that are relevant to the role of executives, and performing some bookkeeping activities such as invoice creation and office inventory tracking.

What does a senior secretary do?

A Senior Secretary is responsible for maintaining office records, receiving and directing telephone calls, and writing various reports for managers. They also schedule appointments and meetings for supervisors and assist in the process of new hires.

Executive secretary vs senior secretary salary

Executive secretaries and senior secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Executive Secretary	Senior Secretary
Average salary	$46,594	$33,120
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $69,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	New York	Hawaii
Best paying company	InfosysPublicService	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Government	Pharmaceutical

Differences between executive secretary and senior secretary education

There are a few differences between an executive secretary and a senior secretary in terms of educational background:

	Executive Secretary	Senior Secretary
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Executive secretary vs senior secretary demographics

Here are the differences between executive secretaries' and senior secretaries' demographics:

	Executive Secretary	Senior Secretary
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 7.7% Female, 92.3%	Male, 5.9% Female, 94.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between executive secretary and senior secretary duties and responsibilities

Executive secretary example responsibilities.

Manage specific projects from start to finish as required by the SVP.
Manage high volume of requests and correspondence from executives and colleagues, pharmaceutical representatives, patients and outside physicians.
Assist in daily typing of correspondence to agencies regarding Medicare and Medicaid contracts.
Maintain all the student records in PowerSchool and generate report cards with accuracy.
Maintain all departmental information, including transcription of meeting minutes and all audit and payroll documentation.
Input miss time punch and vacation/sick time in KRONOS for employees.

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Senior secretary example responsibilities.

Manage high volume of requests and correspondence from executives and colleagues, pharmaceutical representatives, patients and outside physicians.
Prepare PowerPoint presentations, complete statistical reports, and convert reports to various formats.
Maintain confidentiality of all payroll documents and office files.
Compile and distribute customer updates for payroll software programs and telecommunications networks.
Maintain databases, prepare PowerPoint presentations, maintain inventory and requisition supplies for the department.
Demonstrate professional integrity and tactful handling of confidential and protect health information according to HIPAA and administrative policy guidelines.

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Executive secretary vs senior secretary skills

Common executive secretary skills

Office Procedures, 9%
Payroll, 9%
Word Processing, 8%
PowerPoint, 8%
Financial Statements, 6%
Scheduling Appointments, 5%

Common senior secretary skills

Patients, 12%
Routine Correspondence, 11%
Data Entry, 8%
Telephone Calls, 6%
Office Equipment, 6%
Payroll, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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