Office project manager vs desk manager

The differences between office project managers and desk managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an office project manager and a desk manager. Additionally, an office project manager has an average salary of $79,831, which is higher than the $75,140 average annual salary of a desk manager.

The top three skills for an office project manager include project management, real estate and powerpoint. The most important skills for a desk manager are CRM, sales process, and quality customer service.

Office project manager vs desk manager overview

	Office Project Manager	Desk Manager
Yearly salary	$79,831	$75,140
Hourly rate	$38.38	$36.12
Growth rate	-8%	-
Number of jobs	136,662	45,871
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does an office project manager do?

An office project manager oversees office projects, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently in adherence to goals and deadlines. It is their responsibility to manage different teams, set timelines and objectives, establish guidelines, perform research and analysis, and develop strategies to optimize operations. They must also monitor the progress of all procedures and resolve issues should any arise. Moreover, as a manager, it is essential to encourage and lead teams to reach goals, all while implementing and promoting the company's policies and regulations.

What does a desk manager do?

A desk manager's responsibilities focus on facilitating communication and performing organizational support tasks to maintain the smooth flow of operations at offices. Although the extent of their duties primarily depends on their company or employment industry, it usually includes handling calls and correspondence, answering inquiries, resolving issues and concerns, forwarding calls and messages, arranging appointments and schedules, organizing files, and overseeing various communication materials. In some offices, a desk manager manages different teams, supervising their performance while enforcing company standards and policies.

Office project manager vs desk manager salary

Office project managers and desk managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Office Project Manager	Desk Manager
Average salary	$79,831	$75,140
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $123,000	Between $44,000 And $127,000
Highest paying City	Bellevue, WA	Eureka, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	New York
Best paying company	Northern Trust	ServiceNow
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between office project manager and desk manager education

There are a few differences between an office project manager and a desk manager in terms of educational background:

	Office Project Manager	Desk Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	California State University - Bakersfield

Office project manager vs desk manager demographics

Here are the differences between office project managers' and desk managers' demographics:

	Office Project Manager	Desk Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 37.5% Female, 62.5%	Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 5.4% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 5.3% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between office project manager and desk manager duties and responsibilities

Office project manager example responsibilities.

Manage all aspects of billing, A/R and A/P general ledger postings and invoicing.
Manage procedural implementation for transition of office to HIPPA regulatory compliance and Medicare PQRI guidelines.
Process A/R, A/P, payments, sales tax, make travel arrangements (both domestic & international travel).
Maintain company financial records, e.g., invoicing, A/P, A/R, reconciliations and job cost tracking.
Compile certify payroll and monthly EEO reports.
Respond to employee inquiries regarding payroll and timekeeping.

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Desk manager example responsibilities.

Provide leadership and direction to facility management and program owners while motivating and interacting with employees to achieve continuous improvement.
Maintain POS transactions and hotel budget.
Shred patient information to comply with HIPAA regulations.
Follow HIPAA guidelines to ensure staff compliance.assist with all dental procedures.
Design a multi-part training program for the primary POS program used in retail locations.
Import and export all patient data into the EMR from hospitals and other qualify health care providers.

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Office project manager vs desk manager skills

Common office project manager skills

Project Management, 30%
Real Estate, 16%
PowerPoint, 6%
SharePoint, 5%
Office Procedures, 4%
Project Scope, 4%

Common desk manager skills

CRM, 19%
Sales Process, 12%
Quality Customer Service, 10%
CSI, 9%
Sales People, 8%
Sales Desk, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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