How To Become An Office/Facility Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is an office/facility manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Irene Thomas Johnson

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an office/facility manager. For example, did you know that they make an average of $27.98 an hour? That's $58,199 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 21,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an office/facility manager?

Irene Thomas Johnson

Executive Director, Solutions Development

First, take advantage of all the opportunities that come your way. Do not shy away or turn down an assignment, big or small, or how mundane. Each one of these will lay the foundation for a bigger and better opportunity in the future. Second, get a mentor. Someone whom you can exchange ideas and get candid feedback, someone who can help you open doors in your career. And third, never stop training and asking questions.

ScoreOffice/Facility ManagerUS Average

Salary

4.5

Avg. Salary $58,199

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.0

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.49%

Asian 4.37%

Black or African American 10.25%

Hispanic or Latino 14.10%

Unknown 4.34%

White 66.46%

Gender

female 65.43%

male 34.57%

Age - 51

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 51

Stress level

8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an office/facility manager

Explore office/facility manager education requirements

Most common office/facility manager degrees

Bachelor's

56.5 %

Associate

21.8 %

High School Diploma

8.9 %

Start to develop specific office/facility manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Office Procedures	7.73%
Office Equipment	7.21%
Facilities Management	5.98%
OSHA	4.77%
HVAC	4.60%

Complete relevant office/facility manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New office/facility managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an office/facility manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real office/facility manager resumes.

Research office/facility manager duties and responsibilities

Manage daily operations of 18k square foot corporate facility including ensuring functioning telecommunications systems, HVAC system and lease equipment.
Organize and conduct OSHA require training for hospital personnel and off-site clinics.
Implement OSHA safety procedures and follow through with monthly tailgate safety meetings.
Monitor and maintain computer-based security and HVAC systems.

Apply for office/facility manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an office/facility manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do office/facility managers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Office/facility manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

Being able to motivate administrative personnel to do their jobs well and meet deadlines.

Cons

Having to reprimand personnel when duties are neglected.

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

I like the variety of trades overlapping, and communicating with all of the trades.

Cons

Nothing.

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019

Pros

diverse responsibilities, interfacing with all levels of professionals

Cons

nothing comes to mind

What is an office/facility manager and how to become one

What general advice would you give to an office/facility manager?

Office/facility manager career paths

Key steps to become an office/facility manager

Explore office/facility manager education requirements

Most common office/facility manager degrees

Start to develop specific office/facility manager skills

Complete relevant office/facility manager training and internships

Research office/facility manager duties and responsibilities

Apply for office/facility manager jobs

How did you land your first office/facility manager job

Average office/facility manager salary

How do office/facility managers rate their job?

Office/facility manager reviews