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

What is a senior administrator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Bill McGinley

How come the administrative staffs of most health care facilities function so precisely like someone is watching them? Well, someone actually is; it's the Senior Administrator's job to oversee administrative staff and monitor their performance. Not only that, but they are also involved in preparing and implementing various administrative processes of their organization.

The minimum education required for this job is a high school degree, yet you need more knowledge to perform your duties well. This is why 65 % of serving people have a bachelor's degree or even higher. However, a senior administrator, on average, makes $46.12 per hour. Yet the range varies from $71,000-$129,000. Most Senior Administrators seek their careers in health care and education facilities.

As a senior administrator, you will be held responsible for coordination with staff below and above you. You might occasionally be asked to train new staff, deal with customers and solve their discrepancies. This involves lots of communication, so you better work to enhance your interpersonal skills.

What general advice would you give to a senior administrator?

Bill McGinley

President & CEO, American College of Health Care Administrators

LTC administrators should have at least a bachelor's degree in business or a healthcare-related field. A well-rounded internship that exposes the future administrator to all aspects of the operation is essential. Needed skills include business, marketing, finance, operations, management and leadership.
Post pandemic opportunities will be nationwide in this field with a greater need in rural areas.
Technology will continue to play a big role in the field. Computerized medical records, census management, and all clinical areas will continue to dominate. Online meetings are liable to continue as well, as employers realize that there is a savings to be gained by not having people travel to meetings and conferences.

ScoreSenior AdministratorUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $103,102

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 10.24%

Black or African American 9.05%

Hispanic or Latino 12.73%

Unknown 5.10%

White 62.58%

Gender

female 57.41%

male 42.59%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior administrator

Explore senior administrator education requirements

Most common senior administrator degrees

Bachelor's

60.8 %

Associate

15.1 %

Master's

14.2 %

Start to develop specific senior administrator skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	10.34%
SR	9.95%
Troubleshoot	7.08%
Linux	5.31%
Data Entry	3.59%

Complete relevant senior administrator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior 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 senior administrator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior administrator resumes.

Gain additional senior administrator certifications

Senior administrator certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific senior administrator certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for senior administrators include Certified Manager Certification (CM) and International Accredited Business Accountant (IABA).

More About Certifications

Research senior administrator duties and responsibilities

Organize and manage all meeting logistics for various conferences and events across the U.S.
Lead and/or participate in adding departments to the DMS, client/server upgrades, DR testing, and end user testing.
Have configured the SharePoint environment and continuously managing both intranet and internet sites used by end users, consumers and stakeholders.
Manage calendar and arrange travel; coordinate meetings and events; create PowerPoint presentations; prepare correspondence and approve expense reports.

Get senior administrator experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a senior administrator. The most common roles before becoming a senior administrator include administrator, administrative assistant team lead and customer service representative.

Prepare your senior administrator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior 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 senior 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 senior administrator resume templates

Build a professional senior 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 senior administrator resume.