How to hire a lead administrator

How to hire a lead administrator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step lead administrator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a lead administrator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new lead administrator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a lead administrator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a lead administrator, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect lead administrator also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of lead administrators and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Lead Administrator	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Administrator	Computer networks are critical parts of almost every organization. Network and computer systems administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of these networks.	$30-67
   Network/Server Administrator	A Network Administrator ensures an organizations' network is operational and up to date. They solve problems that arise within computer networks, maintaining computer networks, interacting with clients, and consulting with them to determine their system requirements... Show more	$27-51
   Systems Administrator Lead	A systems administrator lead is responsible for planning, designing, and implementing procedures for critical enterprise systems. Typical duties of systems administrators include managing the day-to-day operations of a company's computer and network systems, developing new application and system implementation plans, and establishing guidelines for installing and managing the organization's computer operating systems... Show more	$37-62

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Payroll
   • Office Equipment
   • Expense Reports
   • Windows
   • Data Entry
   • PowerPoint
   • A/P
   • Troubleshoot
   • Human Resources
   • Financial Reports
   • Linux
   • BI
   • Process Improvement
   • SharePoint

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and coordinate office operations and procedures to include payroll preparation, information management/filing systems, and supply requisitions.
   • Support and troubleshoot all claims questions and provide assistance with more advance issues.
   • Provide initiatives and suggestions for performance tuning of applications, script auto deployment plans, troubleshoot complex production issues.
   • Create and implement migration plans to new SharePoint environments.
   • Provide application training for company's custom provisioning application.
   • Implement SSO configuration and user provisioning on IDM environments.

   More lead administrator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your lead administrator job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A lead administrator salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, lead administrators' average salary in mississippi is 40% less than in oregon.
   • Seniority. Entry-level lead administrators earn 55% less than senior-level lead administrators.
   • Certifications. A lead administrator with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a lead administrator's salary.

   Average lead administrator salary

   $94,444yearly

   $45.41 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level lead administrator salary

   $63,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average lead administrator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$118,309	$57
   2	New York	$115,932	$56
   3	Massachusetts	$111,649	$54
   4	Connecticut	$109,044	$52
   5	Virginia	$106,241	$51
   6	District of Columbia	$103,887	$50
   7	Nevada	$103,261	$50
   8	Maryland	$102,017	$49
   9	Illinois	$101,171	$49
   10	Texas	$99,593	$48
   11	New Jersey	$98,918	$48
   12	Arizona	$97,895	$47
   13	Pennsylvania	$96,731	$47
   14	North Carolina	$90,345	$43
   15	New Mexico	$87,570	$42
   16	Ohio	$85,948	$41
   17	Minnesota	$85,910	$41
   18	Michigan	$83,008	$40
   19	Georgia	$82,280	$40
   20	Wisconsin	$82,031	$39

   Average lead administrator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Koch Industries	$121,163	$58.25
   2	New Relic	$120,740	$58.05
   3	Northern Trust	$119,842	$57.62	4
   4	BNY Mellon	$119,099	$57.26	3
   5	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$111,184	$53.45	18
   6	Northwell Health	$109,904	$52.84	26
   7	Gap Inc.	$104,342	$50.16
   8	Marcus & Millichap	$102,412	$49.24	1
   9	Patterson Companies	$100,659	$48.39	2
   10	Blue Shield of California	$100,356	$48.25
   11	BAE Systems	$98,415	$47.31	156
   12	University of California	$97,292	$46.77	32
   13	Cigna	$97,159	$46.71	14
   14	New York University	$96,473	$46.38	7
   15	The J.M. Smucker Co.	$96,352	$46.32	1
   16	SOS International	$94,495	$45.43	3
   17	Interval International	$93,385	$44.90
   18	Pfizer	$92,889	$44.66	5
   19	Cognizant	$92,841	$44.64	78
   20	AMSURG	$91,603	$44.04	6

4. Writing a lead administrator job description

   A good lead administrator job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a lead administrator job description:

   Lead administrator job description example

   Recruit undergraduate and graduate students to the J.T. & Margaret Talkington College of Visual & Performing Arts (TCVPA) through activities and events both on and off campus, communicating comprehensive knowledge of all degree programs across the College and associated educational and career opportunities for students before and after graduation. Develop and foster relationships with school counselors, teachers, and other strategic partners for First Time in College (FTIC) and transfer student recruitment efforts.
   Work with admissions and school directors for recruiting at high school and college events. In coordination with the leadership of the college, this position coordinates and executes all recruitment planning and activities with each of the Schools in the TCVPA (Art, Music, Theatre & Dance), including development and implementation of a dynamic and adaptive college-wide strategic enrollment plan. Manage informative, professional, and timely recruitment communications, including email, text messaging, social media, recruitment software services and programs, and the TCVPA websites. Plan and coordinate recruitment events and other activities involving TCVPA Ambassadors, Admissions Recruiters, other hourly workers, and volunteers. Serve as backup liaison with the institutional recruitment, admissions, and enrollment offices, including Undergraduate Admissions, Enrollment Management, and Graduate School/Graduate Admission regarding student issues and coding requirements. Participate in regional and national conferences on recruitment and enrollment in higher education, as applicable. Develop and maintain relations, and coordinate and execute all recruiting activities with high schools and community colleges. Set benchmarks, develop, and update best practices for college, analysis and management to include the use of software to set up and maintain demographic, statistical and other data related to student inquiry, student enrollment, retention, and follow-up. Tracks statistical trends and patterns regarding recruiting and alumni activities including job placement, prospective student demographics, and other data points. Ensure that all prospective student data is updated in the CRM system and Shopwindow. Manage the day-to-day duties of the college recruiter. This position reports directly to the TCVPA's Assistant Director for Student Success & Retention and it is accountable to pre-established plans, goals, and metrics. The successful candidate will: Have experience with all phases of the recruitment process. Travel to local, regional and national schools and events on a monthly basis or as needed. Be proficient in setting and achieving goals and objectives. Communicate effectively both orally and in writing with a diverse group of employees and students. Have excellent interpersonal skills. Organize simultaneous projects and timelines, effectively. Be effective and efficient through time management and resourcefulness while anticipating and responding to college needs. Work with limited supervision.
   
   Major/Essential Functions
   
   Performs managerial work providing direction and guidance in setting and achieving goals and objectives; developing policies; reviewing guidelines, procedures, rules, and regulations; establishing priorities, standards, and measurement tools for determining progress in meeting goals; coordinating and evaluating program activities; and establishing and monitoring budgets. May plan, assign and supervise the work of others. Works under limited supervision with latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.
   
   Required Qualifications
   
   Bachelor's degree in area of expertise or closely related area required. Five (5) years of experience in planning, developing, or implementing programs or research grants. Additional education may substitute for required experience on a year-for-year basis.
   
   Preferred Qualifications
   
   Previous experience with Customer Relations Management (CRM) System. Previous experience in coordinating and evaluating program activities. Previous experience working with high schools and colleges. Bachelor's degree in a related arts field (art, dance, music, theater.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find lead administrators for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any lead administrators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level lead administrators with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your lead administrator job on Zippia to find and recruit lead administrator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting lead administrators requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a lead administrator applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new lead administrator

   Once you have selected a candidate for the lead administrator position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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