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Senior administrative assistant vs administrative project assistant

The differences between senior administrative assistants and administrative project assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior administrative assistant, becoming an administrative project assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior administrative assistant has an average salary of $46,790, which is higher than the $41,668 average annual salary of an administrative project assistant.

The top three skills for a senior administrative assistant include powerpoint, customer service and clerical support. The most important skills for an administrative project assistant are customer service, data entry, and powerpoint.

Senior administrative assistant vs administrative project assistant overview

Senior Administrative AssistantAdministrative Project Assistant
Yearly salary$46,790$41,668
Hourly rate$22.50$20.03
Growth rate-8%-8%
Number of jobs43,22658,448
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age4950
Years of experience42

What does a senior administrative assistant do?

A senior administrative assistant's role is to accomplish clerical tasks to support senior managers. Such tasks involve preparing and processing documents, responding to inquiries and other forms of correspondence, arranging travel and appointments, attending meetings, and managing schedules. Furthermore, a senior administrative assistant must maintain a precise record system, serve as the main point of contact for office visitors, and prepare budget reports and other business plans. It is also essential to coordinate with various company personnel, ensuring accuracy in all activities and projects.

What does an administrative project assistant do?

An administrative project assistant is responsible for supporting the project management operations according to business requirements and client specifications. Administrative project assistants perform administrative duties, such as conducting market research, writing progress reports, updating tracking systems, sorting project documents, and scheduling meetings. They also maintain accurate records of financial transactions, managing the stock inventories, and escalating concerns that would affect the output deliveries. An administrative project assistant must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on data management processes and performing duties under minimal supervision and strict deadlines.

Senior administrative assistant vs administrative project assistant salary

Senior administrative assistants and administrative project assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Administrative AssistantAdministrative Project Assistant
Average salary$46,790$41,668
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $62,000Between $31,000 And $55,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYWashington, DC
Highest paying stateNew YorkCalifornia
Best paying companyJPMorgan Chase & Co.Jacobs Engineering Group
Best paying industryPharmaceuticalConstruction

Differences between senior administrative assistant and administrative project assistant education

There are a few differences between a senior administrative assistant and an administrative project assistant in terms of educational background:

Senior Administrative AssistantAdministrative Project Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityWestern Carolina University

Senior administrative assistant vs administrative project assistant demographics

Here are the differences between senior administrative assistants' and administrative project assistants' demographics:

Senior Administrative AssistantAdministrative Project Assistant
Average age4950
Gender ratioMale, 8.0% Female, 92.0%Male, 10.3% Female, 89.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage10%6%

Differences between senior administrative assistant and administrative project assistant duties and responsibilities

Senior administrative assistant example responsibilities.

  • Create and manage RFP and proposal processes for various projects.
  • Manage branches fiscal transactions including A/P, A/R, payroll, petty cash, safeguard reconciliation, and corporate reporting.
  • Coordinate calendars, schedule meetings and manage associated logistics including domestic/international travel.
  • Scheduled/Coordinate enterprise-wide WebEx conferences, facilitate team meetings, and manage executive schedules and itineraries.
  • Manage and coordinate complex internal and external meetings and/or events via videoconferencing, WebEx and teleconference calls.
  • Manage upper level calendar scheduling, arrange domestic and international travel, prepare PowerPoint presentations, correspondence and process expense reports.
  • Show more

Administrative project assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage quality assurance checks for FDA and internal audits which result in no documentation/information error and successful completion of the audits.
  • Create and maintain project-related SharePoint sites and pages, including updating graphics, uploading resource documents and adding new users.
  • Prepare presentation materials for meetings, utilizing Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • Develop creative PowerPoint presentations for company to be present for conferences/conventions.
  • Eliminate potential errors by establishing an alternate payroll template and process.
  • Coordinate certified payroll, credit card reconciliation, and travel expense reimbursements.
  • Show more

Senior administrative assistant vs administrative project assistant skills

Common senior administrative assistant skills
  • PowerPoint, 12%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Clerical Support, 5%
  • Patients, 4%
  • Provides Administrative Support, 4%
  • SVP, 3%
Common administrative project assistant skills
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Data Entry, 10%
  • PowerPoint, 8%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • Meeting Minutes, 4%
  • Office Equipment, 4%

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