Senior office administrator vs administrative associate

The differences between senior office administrators and administrative associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior office administrator, becoming an administrative associate takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior office administrator has an average salary of $38,396, which is higher than the $34,873 average annual salary of an administrative associate.

The top three skills for a senior office administrator include data entry, human resources and SR. The most important skills for an administrative associate are administrative tasks, purchase orders, and customer service.

Senior office administrator vs administrative associate overview

	Senior Office Administrator	Administrative Associate
Yearly salary	$38,396	$34,873
Hourly rate	$18.46	$16.77
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	85,744	54,499
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	47	50
Years of experience	6	2

What does a senior office administrator do?

Senior office administrators are professionals who coordinate office activities and operations with junior-level office administrators of an organization. These administrators are required to supervise administrative staff and divide their responsibilities to ensure quality performance from them. They must manage appointments and travel arrangements for the upper management as well as manage their phone calls and correspondence. Senior office administrators must also assist colleagues in preparing presentations or proposals while supporting the organization's budgeting and bookkeeping procedures.

What does an administrative associate do?

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.

Senior office administrator vs administrative associate salary

Senior office administrators and administrative associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Office Administrator	Administrative Associate
Average salary	$38,396	$34,873
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $48,000	Between $23,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New York
Best paying company	Capgemini	Lord Abbett
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between senior office administrator and administrative associate education

There are a few differences between a senior office administrator and an administrative associate in terms of educational background:

	Senior Office Administrator	Administrative Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Western Carolina University

Senior office administrator vs administrative associate demographics

Here are the differences between senior office administrators' and administrative associates' demographics:

	Senior Office Administrator	Administrative Associate
Average age	47	50
Gender ratio	Male, 16.0% Female, 84.0%	Male, 21.6% Female, 78.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between senior office administrator and administrative associate duties and responsibilities

Senior office administrator example responsibilities.

Manage a wide and vary range of planning, organizing, and directing the operations of this large CPA firm.
Submit authorization requests to several insurance companies for patients' MRI, medication authorization, physical therapy and other patient procedures.
Document entire A/R position responsibilities, processes and procedures.

Administrative associate example responsibilities.

Manage consultants' calendar, arrange travel, paid bills via QuickBooks software.
Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
Enter invoices in QuickBooks and P2P.
Fulfill medical record requests from patients, providers and insurance companies in a HIPAA compliant way.
Prepare PowerPoint presentations and address day to day general operations and office procedures.
Prepare PowerPoint & other digital media for presentations that are distributed to upper management.

Senior office administrator vs administrative associate skills

Common senior office administrator skills

Data Entry, 10%
Human Resources, 9%
SR, 9%
Office Procedures, 7%
Travel Arrangements, 6%
Payroll, 6%

Common administrative associate skills

Administrative Tasks, 12%
Purchase Orders, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Telephone Calls, 9%
Travel Arrangements, 9%
Patients, 8%

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Senior Office Administrator
Senior Office Administrator vs Administrative Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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