Senior office administrator vs department administrator

The differences between senior office administrators and department administrators 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 a department administrator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a department administrator has an average salary of $49,768, which is higher than the $38,396 average annual salary of a senior office administrator.

The top three skills for a senior office administrator include data entry, human resources and SR. The most important skills for a department administrator are patient care, patients, and financial reports.

Senior office administrator vs department administrator overview

	Senior Office Administrator	Department Administrator
Yearly salary	$38,396	$49,768
Hourly rate	$18.46	$23.93
Growth rate	-8%	5%
Number of jobs	85,744	84,441
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	47	43
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 a department administrator do?

Department administrators are professionals who are responsible for performing administrative and clerical tasks for a specific department within an organization. These administrators are required to prepare financial statements for clients while evaluating revisions through feedback with stakeholders. They must work with the human resources department to recruit and identify workers for retraining and skill upgrades. Department administrators must also develop and streamline departmental policies and processes so that they can ensure efficiency, productivity, and accountability.

Senior office administrator vs department administrator salary

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

	Senior Office Administrator	Department Administrator
Average salary	$38,396	$49,768
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $48,000	Between $34,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	Capgemini	MacArthur Foundation
Best paying industry	Technology	Energy

Differences between senior office administrator and department administrator education

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

	Senior Office Administrator	Department Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	California State University - Bakersfield

Senior office administrator vs department administrator demographics

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

	Senior Office Administrator	Department Administrator
Average age	47	43
Gender ratio	Male, 16.0% Female, 84.0%	Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7%
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, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	8%	9%

Differences between senior office administrator and department administrator 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.

Department administrator example responsibilities.

Manage calendars, correspondence, logs, reports and maintain documentation in Prolog.
Lead implementation of local area network and upgrade of scheduling, billing and A/R software.
Manage patient records ensuring confidentiality and compliance with all HIPAA regulations.
Initiate and manage the implementation of facilities management oversight of external properties.
Direct Medicaid health plan management division activities (manage care program operations, quality improvement, and contract administration).
Verify vendor quotes and resolve invoice discrepancies.

Senior office administrator vs department administrator skills

Common senior office administrator skills

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

Common department administrator skills

Patient Care, 10%
Patients, 10%
Financial Reports, 7%
Human Resources, 6%
Payroll, 6%
Departmental Policies, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Senior Office Administrator
Senior Office Administrator vs Department Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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