Post job

What does a program secretary do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
On this page

Program secretary responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real program secretary resumes:

  • Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
  • Maintain schedules, business travel, expense reports, overtime reports, payroll and labor time-card.
  • Prepare and submit payroll, travel expenses, and other reimbursement relate material for staff.
  • Create PowerPoint presentations for yearly events.
  • Register patients/checked Medicaid for approval and schedule patient psychiatric appointments.
  • Distribute Medicaid waivers and documentation reports to services and support managers on monthly basis.
  • Prepare discharges, enter all updates into OASAS system and review patient information to verify patients eligibility to receive transportation reimbursement.
  • Schedule appointments to perform HUD require interviews making sure contractors/sub-contractors follow lead-safe rules and regulations.

Program secretary skills and personality traits

We calculated that 14% of Program Secretaries are proficient in Data Entry, Scheduling Appointments, and Phone Calls. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Organizational skills, and Writing skills.

We break down the percentage of Program Secretaries that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Data Entry, 14%

    Created Excel database files, provided data entry, tracked various registrants for our various events, responded to e-mail/phone inquiries/etc.

  • Scheduling Appointments, 9%

    Managed busy office including copying, filing and preparing mailings and scheduling appointments.

  • Phone Calls, 8%

    Work with individual programs to provide mailings and phone calls to the parent's and Company's associated with each child.

  • Office Equipment, 8%

    Analyzed and scheduled central office equipment installation.

  • Purchase Orders, 7%

    Represented the program in absence of assigned administrator Monitored office expenditures and processed purchase orders.

  • Clerical Support, 7%

    Assist department and agency personnel with daily operations and clerical support training.

Common skills that a program secretary uses to do their job include "data entry," "scheduling appointments," and "phone calls." You can find details on the most important program secretary responsibilities below.

Interpersonal skills. One of the key soft skills for a program secretary to have is interpersonal skills. You can see how this relates to what program secretaries do because "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." Additionally, a program secretary resume shows how program secretaries use interpersonal skills: "demonstrated exceptional interpersonal skills serving as liaison between customers and office management. "

Organizational skills. Many program secretary duties rely on organizational skills. "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently.," so a program secretary will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways program secretary responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "experience with word processing, excel and organizational skills and public relations. "

Writing skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of program secretaries is writing skills. This skill is critical to many everyday program secretary duties, as "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "supervised front desk, answered phones, translate verbally or in writing, informed and directed people. "

All program secretary skills

The three companies that hire the most program secretarys are:

Choose from 10+ customizable program secretary resume templates

Build a professional program secretary resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your program secretary resume.
Program Secretary Resume
Program Secretary Resume
Program Secretary Resume
Program Secretary Resume
Program Secretary Resume
Program Secretary Resume
Program Secretary Resume
Program Secretary Resume
Program Secretary Resume
Program Secretary Resume
Program Secretary Resume
Program Secretary Resume
Program Secretary Resume
Program Secretary Resume
Program Secretary Resume
Program Secretary Resume

Compare different program secretaries

Program secretary vs. Office administrator

Office administrators are employees who ensure that the office is running in tip-top shape. They manage the administrative needs of the office. They answer calls directed to the official company phone, manage the inventory of supplies, take charge or purchase requisitions for needed supplies, and ensure the office equipment and fixtures are taken care of. Office administrators also manage correspondences, official memoranda, and other official company documents. They also keep track of files and records to ensure that these are properly organized. At times, office administrators also take charge of welcoming guests and accompanying them to their respective meetings.

We looked at the average program secretary salary and compared it with the wages of an office administrator. Generally speaking, office administrators are paid $4,857 higher than program secretaries per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both program secretary and office administrator positions are skilled in data entry, scheduling appointments, and office equipment.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, program secretary responsibilities require skills like "phone calls," "meeting minutes," "payroll," and "provide clerical support." Meanwhile a typical office administrator has skills in areas such as "customer service," "patients," "financial reports," and "human resources." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Office administrators tend to make the most money working in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $39,681. In contrast, program secretaries make the biggest average salary, $33,498, in the telecommunication industry.On average, office administrators reach similar levels of education than program secretaries. Office administrators are 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Program secretary vs. Administrative professional

An administrative professional specializes in performing administrative support and clerical tasks in a company or office, ensuring accuracy and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically revolve around managing schedules, arranging appointments and meetings, producing progress reports and presentations, delegating tasks, and attending meetings on behalf of executives or staff. There are also instances when an administrative assistant must answer calls and correspondence, respond to inquiries and concerns, welcome guests, relay messages, and provide staff with any support tasks or documents.

A career as a administrative professional brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a program secretary. In fact, administrative professionals salary is $6,920 higher than the salary of program secretaries per year.A few skills overlap for program secretaries and administrative professionals. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "data entry," "scheduling appointments," and "phone calls. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, program secretary responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "purchase orders," "provide clerical support," "secretarial support," and "office machines." Meanwhile, an administrative professional has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "sharepoint," "reservations," and "project management." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Administrative professionals earn similar levels of education than program secretaries in general. They're 4.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Program secretary vs. Administrative associate

An administrative associate is responsible for performing various tasks such as handling and processing paperwork, attending meetings and preparing minutes, responding to inquiries and other forms of correspondence, keeping accurate records, updating databases, and monitoring the company's financial activities. They also communicate with various department personnel, ensuring coordination should any important matter would arise. Furthermore, as an administrative associate, they are in charge of procuring supplies, implementing company policies, and supporting any staff members if needed.

An average administrative associate eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of program secretaries. The difference in salaries amounts to administrative associates earning a $2,307 higher average salary than program secretaries.program secretaries and administrative associates both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "data entry," "scheduling appointments," and "phone calls," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a program secretary is likely to be skilled in "office procedures," "secretarial support," "office machines," and "mail merge," while a typical administrative associate is skilled in "customer service," "patients," "medical terminology," and "patient care."

Administrative associates make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $41,923. On the other hand, program secretaries are paid the highest salary in the telecommunication industry, with average annual pay of $33,498.administrative associates typically earn similar educational levels compared to program secretaries. Specifically, they're 4.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Program secretary vs. Administrative coordinator

An Administrative Coordinator oversees the line of communication and schedules within a company, ensuring that every necessary information is delivered and conveyed. An administrative coordinator's responsibilities include responding to inquiries and requests from workforce personnel or client, managing calls and correspondence, maintaining and rotating various forms of documentation, and designing or improving systems that would help the company's operating procedures. Furthermore, it is also essential for an Administrative Coordinator to evaluate the methods and progress, continuity of workflow, and resolve issues as needed within the company.

Administrative coordinators average a higher salary than the annual salary of program secretaries. The difference is about $8,033 per year.While both program secretaries and administrative coordinators complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like data entry, scheduling appointments, and phone calls, the two careers vary in some skills.While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "secretarial support," "office machines," "fax machines," and "petty cash" are skills that commonly show up on program secretary resumes. On the other hand, administrative coordinators use skills like customer service, patients, excellent organizational, and excellent interpersonal on their resumes.The government industry tends to pay the highest salaries for administrative coordinators, with average annual pay of $43,324. Comparatively, the highest program secretary annual salary comes from the telecommunication industry.administrative coordinators reach similar levels of education compared to program secretaries, in general. The difference is that they're 3.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of program secretary

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse office and administrative jobs