Senior staff assistant vs executive assistant

The differences between senior staff assistants and executive assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior staff assistant and an executive assistant. Additionally, a senior staff assistant has an average salary of $57,821, which is higher than the $50,539 average annual salary of an executive assistant.

The top three skills for a senior staff assistant include data entry, patient care and provides administrative support. The most important skills for an executive assistant are powerpoint, customer service, and phone calls.

Senior staff assistant vs executive assistant overview

	Senior Staff Assistant	Executive Assistant
Yearly salary	$57,821	$50,539
Hourly rate	$27.80	$24.30
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	97,922	93,116
Job satisfaction	-	4.4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	4	4

What does a senior staff assistant do?

A senior staff assistant provides help with administrative tasks. Generally, they schedule appointments and answer calls and emails. They are also responsible for organizing paperwork. They may have to schedule meetings, arrange travel accommodations, and act as a liaison with human resources.

What does an executive assistant do?

Executive assistants are employees who are assigned to work under the supervision of company executives. They manage the activities of the executives they are assigned to by manning the executive's calendar, scheduling appointments, setting meetings, ensuring that the executives are familiar with their schedule for the day, and taking note of any deliverable that may be needed. They are also responsible for taking care of any document or paperwork that the executive needs, as well as preparing presentation materials or briefers for meetings. Executive assistants are also usually exposed to actual company operations to further understand how the business works and to be of better help to the executive.

Senior staff assistant vs executive assistant salary

Senior staff assistants and executive assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Staff Assistant	Executive Assistant
Average salary	$57,821	$50,539
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $87,000	Between $35,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New York
Best paying company	Google	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between senior staff assistant and executive assistant education

There are a few differences between a senior staff assistant and an executive assistant in terms of educational background:

	Senior Staff Assistant	Executive Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Senior staff assistant vs executive assistant demographics

Here are the differences between senior staff assistants' and executive assistants' demographics:

	Senior Staff Assistant	Executive Assistant
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 19.8% Female, 80.2%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between senior staff assistant and executive assistant duties and responsibilities

Senior staff assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and coordinate complex internal and external meetings and/or events via videoconferencing, WebEx and teleconference calls.
Prepare bi-weekly timekeeping for payroll processing and maintain PTO tracking.
Serve as HIPAA liaison for office.
Ensure compliance of HIPAA regulations and confidentiality practices are being follow.
Provide technical oversight and AV/Teleconference support for meetings.
Operate audio visual equipment and PowerPoint presentations at meetings.

Executive assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain AVP calendar and schedule using independent judgment.
Manage and review WinStar (KRONOS) time clock hours for hourly union employees.
Organize and manage administrative, audio/visual (WebEx, GoToMeeting), and catering of department meetings.
Manage the scope of accounting processes including billing, bookkeeping and expense data management with strong oversight of A/R and A/P.
Create and manage executive presentations using Visio and PowerPoint.
Compile, manage and organize travel and expense reports processing and submitting reports using PeopleSoft for reimbursement.

Senior staff assistant vs executive assistant skills

Common senior staff assistant skills

Data Entry, 14%
Patient Care, 10%
Provides Administrative Support, 10%
Payroll, 9%
Meeting Minutes, 6%
Financial Statements, 5%

Common executive assistant skills

PowerPoint, 13%
Customer Service, 8%
Phone Calls, 6%
Calendar Management, 6%
Administrative Tasks, 3%
Financial Reports, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Senior Staff Assistant
Senior Staff Assistant vs Executive Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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