Beyond the Cubicle: An Office Manager Job Description

If you’re administratively minded, you have a skillset that many companies are looking for, the world over. Clear, logical thinking, the ability to negotiate multiple tasks at the same time, and the capability of properly delegating other tasks to subordinates are assets that office management jobs require.

If you’re looking for a new career path, and have the above skills and talents, as well as an interest in working with a number of people, then office management positions should be strong possibilities on your job hunt horizon.

Below you’ll find the basics for nearly every aspect of a career in office management. We’ve compiled information on recent average salaries, basic job responsibilities, duties, and more for this role. If you’re seriously considering this kind of job, or just curious to see if it might be the thing for you, read on.

What is an Office Manager?

An office manager’s position is multi-faceted, with many working parts, but the primary role is making it possible for other employees to work and function efficiently and effectively.

In other words, the office manager is responsible for the coordination and organization of office workplace operations, resources, and procedures. When these things work properly together, thanks to the office manager, everything runs smoothly.

Office managers often must do things like schedule meetings for the office-wide staff, as well as departmental meetings, deal with office supply arrangements, greet visitors, and provide general administrative support.

Office managers are generally in charge of dealing with safety concerns, such as coordinating fire drills, or other alert situation procedural tests. They are also an integral part of office communication and communication standards.

Ultimately, any office manager position requires the office manager to ensure smooth running of the office as a whole, while improving company procedures, and daily operations.

Possible Job Titles That May Be Assigned to This Role

When you’re looking for this position, there may be multiple titles under which it may be found. Some of those titles include:

• Office Manager
• Operations Manager
• Administrative Assistant
• Senior Office Administrator
• Office Coordinator
• Office Administrator

Be sure to thoroughly read the job description of any administrative role, as any combination of the above words may actually equate a given company’s idea of an office manager position.

What are the Main Responsibilities of an Office Manager?

The responsibilities of an office manager vary from company to company, and may include any number of the following.

• Schedule and organize office wide meetings, departmental meetings, or schedule appointments
• Organize office procedures and operations
• Manage price and contract negotiations for service providers, office lease, and office vendors
• Function as the point person for mailings, shipping, supplies, equipment, bills, errands, and maintenance
• Manage office services by ensuring office operations and procedures are organized, filing systems are designed, correspondences are controlled, supply requisitions are reviewed and approved, and clerical functions are delegated properly and monitored accordingly
• Manage the relationships with office service providers, vendors, and landlords, and make sure invoices, receipts, and all payments are dealt with properly and punctually
• Establish a reference work for the office by outlining procedures for record disposal, retention, protection, retrieval, and staff transfers
• Work closely with the Human Resources department to make sure office policies are maintained
• Coordinate with the Information Technology, or IT, department on all office equipment
• Greet and provide general support to visitors
• Appropriately allocate resources to enable task performance
• Evaluate and manage staff performance
• Recruit and choose office staff
• Coordinate office staff activities to enable and ensure maximum efficiency
• Develop standards and promote activities that enhance operational procedures
• Oversee adherence to office policies
• Coach, mentor, and discipline office staff as needed
• Ensure the filing systems are kept up-to-date and executed properly for maximum efficiency and organization
• Organize orientation and training for new hires in the office staff
• Ensure confidentiality of data

If you look through various job listings, you’ll find even more responsibilities may be listed. Generally speaking, however, you’ll notice several themes that involve areas around several specifics:

• Selecting and training new staff members
• Creating and maintaining operational procedures
• Creating filing systems and keeping them up-to-date
• Organizing and coordinating with a variety of departments to ensure the whole office runs smoothly

You’ll also note that a number of the responsibilities have to do with office vendors, visitors, landlords, utilities and other service providers.

This is because the lease must be paid in order for staff to have a place to go. Vendors must deliver supplies and resources for tasks to be accomplished. Internet must be hooked up and working properly for emails to be sent.

Just remember, the skills required for an office manager are all about keeping the office running smoothly. If you’ve got some creative solutions up your sleeve to help with these operations, don’t be shy about engaging with potential employers about them during interviews.

What Skills and Qualifications Does an Office Manager Need?

Skills and qualifications for office managers are fairly vast, so you’ll need to be capable in a lot of areas to succeed in this role. Many of the skills that employers are looking for in office managers include:

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Problem analysis and assessment
• Supply management
• Tracking budget expenses
• Delegation
• Inventory control
• Reporting skills
• Supervisory skills
• Developing standards and procedures
• Managing processes
• Staffing skills
• Promoting process improvement
• Judgment and problem solving
• Decisiveness and decision making
• Planning and organizing skills
• Work and time management
• Teamwork collaboration
• Adaptability
• Coaching skills
• Initiative
• Integrity
• Attention to detail with a high level of accuracy
• Information gathering and monitoring

Other Requirements for Office Managers

As you hunt for your office management position, you’ll often find these requirements and preferences are sought out by employers. If any experience is lacking for your resume, and could be obtained reasonably, you may wish to beef up in these areas as you continue applying for jobs.

• Knowledge of office management responsibilities, procedures, and systems
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel and Outlook in particular
• Proven experience as an office manager of some kind
• Hands on experience with large office machines, such as printers, copiers, and fax machines
• Excellent time management skills
• Excellent multi-tasking skills
• Excellent ability to prioritize tasks and workload
• Familiarity with various email and internet-based scheduling tools like Email Scheduler or Boomerang
• Proven experience organizing and planning in a fast-paced environment
• Creative problem solving and improvement suggestions
• High school degree minimum, with experience in a similar position

Many of the requirements are based out of previous experience. While you cannot take a class to gain experience, you may be able to work your way up in a position on one job that could lead to advancements that ultimately give the required skills and experience sought after.

It should also be noted that while many may only list a high school diploma or equivalent as required for education, most will still prefer hiring someone with at least some college experience.

Quite often, Bachelor degrees in areas surrounding finance, business management, office management, or even hospitality management are preferred by employers. Some will accept an Associate degree instead.

If you haven’t entered the workforce yet, you may wish to consider an Associate degree instead of a Bachelor. Many office situations will accept someone with proven skills in administration, demonstrated organizational skills, and an administrative mind with an Associate degree instead of a Bachelor degree.

What Kind of Salary Does an Office Manager Make?

According to Glassdoor Findings, the average base pay for an office manager in the United States is $47,250 per year. The high end earns $68,000 annually, and the low-end office managers make $33,000 per year.

If you’re hoping for the higher paying paths in office management, you’ll want to target larger corporations who have the resources to fund this kind of pay. You will also find that businesses in larger cities, like Chicago, New York, and Seattle, also pay their office managers more generously.

Before considering relocation for such a job because of pay rate, however, be sure to account for any differences in cost of living. Ultimately, some positions would relate as approximately the same pay as local positions, only with the hassle of relocation.

Becoming an Office Manager

When you look at everything involved in the office manager position, you’ll see that a successful candidate will have a wide variety of administrative, creative, and logical skills available. Office managers must be able to delegate, communicate well, schedule properly, and plan and maintain procedures and policies.

Office managers make a fairly average salary across the board, and generally put in the average amount of time in the office as any other manager might. If putting in overtime is appealing, then office management could well be a great fit. You can also generally leave work at work, instead of bringing it home.

If you’re interested in office management, be sure to beef up on some seminars and skill training if you’re lacking in areas of Microsoft Office or scheduling programs. Then, start applying and see what lands.