Senior staff assistant vs senior secretary

The differences between senior staff assistants and senior secretaries 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 a senior secretary. Additionally, a senior staff assistant has an average salary of $57,821, which is higher than the $33,120 average annual salary of a senior secretary.

The top three skills for a senior staff assistant include data entry, patient care and provides administrative support. The most important skills for a senior secretary are patients, routine correspondence, and data entry.

Senior staff assistant vs senior secretary overview

	Senior Staff Assistant	Senior Secretary
Yearly salary	$57,821	$33,120
Hourly rate	$27.80	$15.92
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	97,922	37,284
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
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 a senior secretary do?

A Senior Secretary is responsible for maintaining office records, receiving and directing telephone calls, and writing various reports for managers. They also schedule appointments and meetings for supervisors and assist in the process of new hires.

Senior staff assistant vs senior secretary salary

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

	Senior Staff Assistant	Senior Secretary
Average salary	$57,821	$33,120
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $87,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Hawaii
Best paying company	Google	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	-	Pharmaceutical

Differences between senior staff assistant and senior secretary education

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

	Senior Staff Assistant	Senior Secretary
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Senior staff assistant vs senior secretary demographics

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

	Senior Staff Assistant	Senior Secretary
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 19.8% Female, 80.2%	Male, 5.9% Female, 94.1%
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 senior secretary 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.

Senior secretary example responsibilities.

Manage high volume of requests and correspondence from executives and colleagues, pharmaceutical representatives, patients and outside physicians.
Prepare PowerPoint presentations, complete statistical reports, and convert reports to various formats.
Maintain confidentiality of all payroll documents and office files.
Compile and distribute customer updates for payroll software programs and telecommunications networks.
Maintain databases, prepare PowerPoint presentations, maintain inventory and requisition supplies for the department.
Demonstrate professional integrity and tactful handling of confidential and protect health information according to HIPAA and administrative policy guidelines.

Senior staff assistant vs senior secretary 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 senior secretary skills

Patients, 12%
Routine Correspondence, 11%
Data Entry, 8%
Telephone Calls, 6%
Office Equipment, 6%
Payroll, 5%

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Senior Staff Assistant
Senior Staff Assistant vs Senior Secretary

Updated January 8, 2025

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