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

What is a senior program administrator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Meaghan Goodman Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a senior program administrator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $33.52 an hour? That's $69,722 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 15,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

What's a day at work look like for a senior program administrator?

Meaghan Goodman Ph.D.

Program Director & Assistant Professor, Maryville University

A bachelor's in communication sciences and disorders can prepare you for three different tracks. First, it can prepare you to become a licensed Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA). This is someone who works under a fully credential speech-language pathologist. Often times, they carryout intervention plans developed by a fully credentialed speech-language pathologist. If graduate school is on your horizon, a bachelor's degree in communication sciences and disorders will prepare you for acceptance into a Speech-Language Pathology program, or an Audiology program. If you are not accepted into a graduate program right away, working as a speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA) is a great way to get experience in the field!

ScoreSenior Program AdministratorUS Average

Salary

5.4

Avg. Salary $69,722

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 6.87%

Black or African American 8.02%

Hispanic or Latino 13.51%

Unknown 4.73%

White 66.20%

Gender

female 65.26%

male 34.74%

Age - 47

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 - 47

Complexity level

1.8

Complexity level is simple

7 - challenging

Key steps to become a senior program administrator

Explore senior program administrator education requirements

Most common senior program administrator degrees

Bachelor's

66.9 %

Master's

18.3 %

Associate

8.2 %

Start to develop specific senior program administrator skills

Skills	Percentages
SR	11.99%
SharePoint	10.79%
Financial Reports	10.08%
Technical Assistance	6.42%
Microsoft Project	5.46%

Research senior program administrator duties and responsibilities

Manage U.S. military, DoD, civilian, and foreign military production contracts.
Lead the introduction and upgrade of wireless infrastructure at remote locations to ensure adherence with internal and international wireless standards.
Lead the effort to revitalize the collaborative document share portal by moving to a user-friendly SharePoint base site.
Analyze, prepare, and submit proposals for U.S. Government, DoD, NASA, and foreign military customers.

Get senior program administrator experience

Prepare your senior program administrator resume

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

Build a professional senior program 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 program administrator resume.

Apply for senior program administrator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a senior program administrator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average senior program administrator salary

The average senior program administrator salary in the United States is $69,722 per year or $34 per hour. Senior program administrator salaries range between $44,000 and $110,000 per year.

Average senior program administrator salary

$69,722 Yearly

$33.52 hourly

How do senior program administrators rate their job?

3/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Senior program administrator reviews

3.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

Interaction with a varied group of PhD students in STEM tracks

Cons

cyclical nature of the job

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020

Pros

Project concept, execution - meeting business and Customer expectations.

What is a senior program administrator and how to become one

What's a day at work look like for a senior program administrator?

Senior program administrator career paths

Key steps to become a senior program administrator

Explore senior program administrator education requirements

Most common senior program administrator degrees

Start to develop specific senior program administrator skills

Research senior program administrator duties and responsibilities

Get senior program administrator experience

Prepare your senior program administrator resume

Choose from 10+ customizable senior program administrator resume templates

Apply for senior program administrator jobs

How did you land your first senior program administrator job

Average senior program administrator salary

How do senior program administrators rate their job?

Senior program administrator reviews