How To Become A Portfolio Administrator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a portfolio administrator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A portfolio administrator is a financial analyst that is responsible for managing an organization's investments. Their job mainly revolves around researching and choosing regions, products, and industries for the portfolio and then presenting these investment options to the key stakeholders of the organization.

The job duties of a portfolio administrator typically include monitoring the performance of certain funds, creating projections for the portfolio, generating performance reports for clients, and overseeing communications. They may also be responsible for monitoring market trends, developing investment strategies, determining market risks, and reorganizing portfolios needed.

Anyone who wishes to become a portfolio administrator must have at least a bachelor's degree in business or finance. They may also pursue certifications or credentials to increase their chances of job placement and advancement, although most employers will not require this. Furthermore, they must have substantial experience in a lower-level or similar role to qualify for this position.

The salary of a portfolio administrator ranges from $36,000 to $57,000 per year. This salary depends on their employer, level of experience, and whether or not they have additional credentials.

ScorePortfolio AdministratorUS Average

Salary

4.8

Avg. Salary $61,414

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.5

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.34%

Asian 10.15%

Black or African American 7.57%

Hispanic or Latino 14.49%

Unknown 4.10%

White 63.35%

Gender

female 52.09%

male 47.91%

Age - 46

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 - 46

Stress level

9.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.3

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a portfolio administrator

Explore portfolio administrator education requirements

Most common portfolio administrator degrees

Bachelor's

81.2 %

Master's

8.3 %

Associate

7.4 %

Start to develop specific portfolio administrator skills

Skills	Percentages
Booking	13.85%
Securities	8.80%
CDO	6.80%
Bonds	5.84%
Financial Statements	4.94%

Complete relevant portfolio administrator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New portfolio administrators 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 a portfolio administrator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real portfolio administrator resumes.

Research portfolio administrator duties and responsibilities

Block trade domestic equities for international mutual fund as well as separately manage accounts.
Track all corporate actions from ex-date to pay-date to ensure proper booking and train and coach new employees on assign funds.
Monitor FX exposure of the group to analyze and report deviations from the mean.
Communicate with PMs to make sure FX trades are executed and all cash remain invested.

Prepare your portfolio administrator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your portfolio administrator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a portfolio administrator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable portfolio administrator resume templates

Build a professional portfolio administrator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your portfolio administrator resume.