Senior office administrator vs program administrator

The differences between senior office administrators and program 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 program administrator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a program administrator has an average salary of $50,715, 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 program administrator are customer service, oversight, and patients.

Senior office administrator vs program administrator overview

	Senior Office Administrator	Program Administrator
Yearly salary	$38,396	$50,715
Hourly rate	$18.46	$24.38
Growth rate	-8%	5%
Number of jobs	85,744	119,898
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
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 program administrator do?

Program administrators are responsible for planning, directing, and coordinating their organization's program or service. Their duties and responsibilities may vary depending on the industry they work at, such as educational, community, and social services. Among these duties are selecting and supervising the staff to manage a certain program or project, managing the program's budget, and evaluating the success of a program. To become successful in this role, a program administrator must have in-depth knowledge of project management disciplines, leadership skills, and decision-making and problem-solving skills.

Senior office administrator vs program administrator salary

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

	Senior Office Administrator	Program Administrator
Average salary	$38,396	$50,715
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $48,000	Between $34,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Hawaii
Best paying company	Capgemini	Meta
Best paying industry	Technology	Government

Differences between senior office administrator and program administrator education

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

	Senior Office Administrator	Program Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Stanford University

Senior office administrator vs program administrator demographics

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

	Senior Office Administrator	Program Administrator
Average age	47	43
Gender ratio	Male, 16.0% Female, 84.0%	Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4%
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, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	8%	9%

Differences between senior office administrator and program 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.

Program administrator example responsibilities.

Manage monetary, laptop and training supports for members living with HIV.
Manage overall document inventory and wiki updates via SharePoint.
Manage CRM and SharePoint systems for online recruiting technology company.
Manage co-op vendor and provide overall program direction for Toyota dealers and regional offices nationwide.
Develop and implement administrative procedures for new mental health management unit providing day services to elderly patients.
Invoice clients using QuickBooks software.

Senior office administrator vs program administrator skills

Common senior office administrator skills

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

Common program administrator skills

Customer Service, 7%
Oversight, 7%
Patients, 6%
Project Management, 6%
PowerPoint, 4%
Client Facing, 4%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Senior Office Administrator
Senior Office Administrator vs Program Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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