How to hire a portfolio administrator

How to hire a portfolio administrator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step portfolio 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 portfolio administrator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new portfolio administrator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a portfolio administrator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The portfolio administrator hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 portfolio 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.

   This list presents portfolio administrator salaries for various positions.

   Type of Portfolio Administrator	Description	Hourly rate
   Portfolio Administrator	Financial managers are responsible for the financial health of an organization. They produce financial reports, direct investment activities, and develop strategies and plans for the long-term financial goals of their organization.	$16-52
   Asset Manager	An asset manager is responsible for advising clients with their investment preferences and financial goals based on their assets' quantity and value. Asset managers regularly meet with their clients regarding their asset management's progress, recommending more investment options and considering the clients' needs... Show more	$28-59
   Audit Manager	An audit manager is responsible for the complete audit process of finances in an organization. They work for banks and report directly to the audit committee... Show more	$39-85

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Booking
   • Securities
   • CDO
   • Bonds
   • Financial Statements
   • Reconciliations
   • Corporate Trust
   • Fixed Income
   • Client Accounts
   • Portfolio Administration
   • Mutual Funds
   • Portfolio Management
   • Client Service
   • Corporate Actions

   Check all skills

   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.
   • Act as single point of contact during new CDO closings as well as CDO distributions and liquidations.
   • Execute client trades by funding and accounting, utilizing SEI, TRACS, and CDO suite software.

   More portfolio administrator duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, portfolio administrators' average salary in hawaii is 51% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level portfolio administrators earn 69% less than senior-level portfolio administrators.
   • Certifications. A portfolio 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 portfolio administrator's salary.

   Average portfolio administrator salary

   $61,414yearly

   $29.53 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level portfolio administrator salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 13, 2026

   Average portfolio administrator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$93,509	$45
   2	New York	$88,076	$42
   3	Connecticut	$79,812	$38
   4	California	$79,631	$38
   5	Michigan	$73,844	$36
   6	Pennsylvania	$73,001	$35
   7	Massachusetts	$70,183	$34
   8	Maryland	$68,680	$33
   9	Indiana	$65,568	$32
   10	Nevada	$62,748	$30
   11	Louisiana	$61,357	$30
   12	Montana	$60,384	$29
   13	North Carolina	$58,751	$28
   14	Colorado	$57,953	$28
   15	Kansas	$57,814	$28
   16	Arizona	$57,098	$27
   17	Florida	$55,869	$27
   18	Texas	$55,450	$27
   19	Illinois	$54,685	$26
   20	Georgia	$54,279	$26

   Average portfolio administrator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Citi	$107,682	$51.77	8
   2	Morgan Stanley	$107,213	$51.54	19
   3	UBS	$102,413	$49.24	4
   4	GAMCO Investors	$100,066	$48.11
   5	Evercore	$99,876	$48.02
   6	D.A. Davidson Companies	$84,605	$40.68
   7	Mesirow	$80,272	$38.59
   8	Sandy Spring Bank	$79,471	$38.21
   9	NBCUniversal	$73,827	$35.49	6
   10	Tompkins Insurance	$73,487	$35.33
   11	Odyssey Systems	$68,868	$33.11	1
   12	Swiss Reinsurance America Corporation	$65,858	$31.66
   13	The PNC Financial Services Group	$65,589	$31.53	10
   14	Aspiriant	$58,748	$28.24	2
   15	Alger & Associates	$57,688	$27.73
   16	Avidex	$56,638	$27.23
   17	U.S. Bank	$55,752	$26.80	22
   18	Zions Ban	$55,436	$26.65
   19	Comerica	$52,062	$25.03	2
   20	Rafferty's	$51,471	$24.75

4. Writing a portfolio administrator job description

   A good portfolio 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 portfolio administrator job description:

   Portfolio administrator job description example

   Newmark Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NMRK), together with its subsidiaries ("Newmark"), is a world leader in commercial real estate, seamlessly powering every phase of the property life cycle. Newmark's comprehensive suite of services and products is uniquely tailored to each client, from owners to occupiers, investors to founders, and startups to blue-chip companies. Combining the platform's global reach with market intelligence in both established and emerging property markets, Newmark provides superior service to clients across the industry spectrum. Newmark generated revenues in excess of $2.9 billion for the year ended December 31, 2021. Newmark's company-owned offices, together with its business partners, operate from approximately 160 offices with over 6,200 professionals around the world. To learn more, visit nmrk.com or follow @newmark.
   JOB DESCRIPTION:
   
   Provide high level administrative support to the business operations of a key client. This role acts as a communication and organizational hub for the entirety of Client's portfolio managed by Newmark. This role works directly with the VP of Asset Management at the client site and supports Newmark's Portfolio Manager, Accounting Manager and field senior property managers, engineering leaders and others on the team, as well as working independently on a variety of tasks. This role is a key member of the management team of a commercial real estate portfolio and is highly visible at the client site.
   
   ESSENTIAL DUTIES :
   Manage expense reports independently for property spending including reconciliation each quarter and submission Track COI's for the portfolio in work order system to ensure compliance Support auditing of property files Manage and audit Dropbox for file retention and organization, support teams where needed on corrections Answer incoming phone calls and where appropriate input work orders or transfer to correct team member. Follow up with tenants/clients to ensure phone calls are responded to in a timely manner Track Client provided AP and ensure property teams are processing invoices timely including follow up with Client and/or Vendor as needed Take meeting minutes and track action items to ensure completion. Update To-Do lists Manage calendars and set up meetings Track recurring items to ensure compliance in conjunction with Portfolio Analyst Schedule resources for meetings in conjunction with Tenant Service Liaison Manager Provide support in assembling draw requests for loan funding Draft letters as needed, track responses and filings Support portfolio projects as needed Provide backup for AP entry for vacation coverage Work with client on ESG goals and reporting Provide onsite vacation coverage, if needed with travel reimbursed, at various client sites in the Bay Area Ensure highest and best use of Monday.com in conjunction with the Portfolio Analyst Help create and sustain training programs for team members in conjunction with Portfolio Manager, Engineering Manager, Accounting Manager and others Other duties as may be assigned.
   SKILLS , EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE :
   Bachelor's Degree in business related field (accounting, finance, business, marketing, real estate, facilities management) preferred. Intermediate to advanced proficiency in MS Office. Ability to work independently with minimal supervision once trained Flexibility to handle changing priorities and projects with strong time management skills Ability to prioritize workload with an attention to detail and willingness to complete projects in a timely and efficient manner. Strong proofreading and editing skills. Strong business vocabulary, grammar, and effective written communication skills. Discretion regarding personnel and industry-related matters. Excellent interpersonal skills. Strong attention to detail.
   WORKING CONDITIONS : Normal working conditions with the absence of disagreeable elements
   
   NOTE: The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees, and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.
   
   Newmark is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex including sexual orientation and gender identity, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right portfolio administrator for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with portfolio administrators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit portfolio administrators who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with portfolio administrator candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   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 portfolio administrator

   Once you've selected the best portfolio administrator candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new portfolio administrator. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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