Administrative services managers 

Applicants will face keen competition for the limited number of top-level management jobs, but competition should be less severe for lower-level management jobs; demand should be strong for facility managers. Administrative services managers work throughout private industry and government and have a wide range of responsibilities, experience, earnings, and education. Like other managers, administrative services managers should be analytical, detail-oriented, flexible, decisive, and have good leadership and communication skills.

Nature of the Work

Administrative services managers coordinate and direct the many support services that allow organizations to operate efficiently. They perform a broad range of duties. They might, for example, oversee secretarial and reception services, administration, payroll, conference planning and travel, information and data processing, mail, materials scheduling and distribution, printing and reproduction, records management, telecommunications management, security, parking, energy consumption, and personal property procurement, supply, recycling, and disposal. They manage support services for organizations as diverse as insurance companies, computer manufacturers, and government offices.

Specific duties for these managers vary by degree of responsibility and authority. First-line administrative services managers directly supervise a staff that performs various support services. Mid-level managers, on the other hand, develop departmental plans, set goals and deadlines, implement procedures to improve productivity and customer service, and define the responsibilities of supervisory-level managers. Some mid-level administrative services managers oversee first-line supervisors from various departments, including the clerical staff. Mid-level managers also may be involved in the hiring and dismissal of employees, but they generally have no role in the formulation of personnel policy. Some of these managers advance to upper level positions, such as vice president of administrative services, which are discussed in the Handbook statement on top executives.

In small organizations, a single administrative services manager may oversee all support services. In larger ones, however, first-line administrative services managers often report to mid-level managers who, in turn, report to owners or top-level managers, sometimes called director of administration, or vice president of administration.

The nature of managerial jobs varies as significantly as the range of administrative services required by organizations. For example, administrative services managers who work as contract administrators oversee the preparation, analysis, negotiation, and review of contracts related to the purchase or sale of equipment, materials, supplies, products, or services. In addition, some administrative services managers acquire, distribute, and store supplies, while others dispose of surplus property or oversee the disposal of unclaimed property.

Administrative services managers who work as facility managers plan, design, and manage buildings, grounds, equipment, and supplies, in addition to people. This task requires integrating the principles of business administration, information technology, architecture, engineering, and behavioral science. Although the specific tasks assigned to facility managers vary substantially depending on the organization, the duties fall into several categories, relating to operations and maintenance, real estate, project planning and management, leadership and communication, finance, quality assessment, facility function, technology integration, and management of human and environmental factors. Tasks within these broad categories may include space and workplace planning, budgeting, purchase and sale of real estate, lease management, renovations, or architectural planning and design. Facility managers may suggest and oversee renovation projects for a variety of reasons, ranging from improving efficiency to ensuring that facilities meet government regulations and environmental, health, and security standards. For example, they may influence a building renovation project toward a greater use of “green” energy–electricity generated from alternative and cost efficient energy sources, such as solar panels or fuel cells. Additionally, facility managers continually monitor the facility to ensure that it remains safe, secure, and well-maintained. Often, the facility manager is responsible for directing staff, including maintenance, grounds, and custodial workers.

Work environment. Administrative services managers generally work in comfortable offices. Managers involved in contract administration and personal property procurement, use, and disposal may travel between their home office, branch offices, vendors’ offices, and property sales sites. Also, facility managers who are responsible for the design of workspaces may spend time at construction sites and may travel between different facilities while monitoring the work of maintenance and custodial staffs. However, new technology has increased the number of managers who telecommute from home or other offices, and teleconferencing has reduced the need for travel. Facility managers also may spend time outdoors, supervising and handling a variety of issues related to groundskeeping, landscaping, construction, security, and parking.

Most administrative services managers work a standard 40-hour week. However, uncompensated overtime frequently is required to resolve problems and meet deadlines. Facility managers often are “on call” to address a variety of problems that can arise in a facility during nonwork hours.

Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement

Education and experience requirements for these managers vary widely, depending on the size and complexity of the organization. In small organizations, experience may be the only requirement needed to enter a position as an office manager. When an opening in administrative services management occurs, the office manager may be promoted to the position based on past performance. In large organizations, however, administrative services managers normally are hired from outside and each position has formal education and experience requirements. Some administrative services managers have advanced degrees.

Education and training. Specific requirements vary by job responsibility. For first-line administrative services managers of secretarial, mailroom, and related support activities, many employers prefer to hire people who have an associate degree in business or management, although a high school diploma may suffice when combined with appropriate experience.

For managers of audiovisual, graphics, and other technical activities, postsecondary technical school training is preferred. Managers of highly complex services, such as contract administration, generally need at least a bachelor’s degree in business, human resources, or finance. Regardless of major, the curriculum should include courses in office technology, accounting, business mathematics, computer applications, human resources, and business law.

Most facility managers have an undergraduate or graduate degree in engineering, architecture, construction management, business administration, or facility management. Many have a background in real estate, construction, or interior design, in addition to managerial experience.

Whatever the manager’s educational background, it must be accompanied by related work experience reflecting their ability. For this reason, many administrative services managers have advanced through the ranks of their organization, acquiring work experience in various administrative positions before assuming first-line supervisory duties. All managers who oversee departmental supervisors should be familiar with office procedures and equipment. Managers of personal property acquisition and disposal need experience in purchasing and sales, and knowledge of a variety of supplies, machinery, and equipment. Managers concerned with supply, inventory, and distribution should be experienced in receiving, warehousing, packaging, shipping, transportation, and related operations. Contract administrators may have worked as contract specialists, cost analysts, or procurement specialists. Managers of unclaimed property often have experience in insurance claims analysis and records management.

Other qualifications. Persons interested in becoming administrative services managers should have good leadership and communication skills and be able to establish effective working relationships with many different people, ranging from managers, supervisors, and professionals, to clerks and blue-collar workers. They should be analytical, detail-oriented, flexible, and decisive. They must be able to coordinate several activities at once, quickly analyze and resolve specific problems, and cope with deadlines.

Certification and advancement. Most administrative services managers in small organizations advance by moving to other management positions or to a larger organization. Advancement is easier in large firms that employ several levels of administrative services managers. Attainment of the Certified Manager (CM) designation offered by the Institute of Certified Professional Managers (ICPM), through education, work experience, and successful completion of examinations, can enhance a manager’s advancement potential. In addition, a master’s degree in business administration or a related field enhances a first-level manager’s opportunities to advance to a mid-level management position, such as director of administrative services, and eventually to a top-level management position, such as executive vice president for administrative services. Those with enough money and experience can establish their own management consulting firm.

Advancement of facility managers is based on the practices and size of individual companies. Some facility managers transfer from other departments within the organization or work their way up from technical positions. Others advance through a progression of facility management positions that offer additional responsibilities. Completion of the competency-based professional certification program offered by the International Facility Management Association can give prospective candidates an advantage. In order to qualify for this Certified Facility Manager (CFM) designation, applicants must meet certain educational and experience requirements. People entering the profession also may obtain the Facility Management Professional (FMP) credential, a stepping stone to the CFM.

Employment

Administrative services managers held about 247,000 jobs in 2006. About 65 percent worked in service-providing industries, including Federal, State, and local government; health care; finance and insurance; professional, scientific, and technical services; administrative and support services; and educational services, public and private. Most of the remaining managers worked in wholesale and retail trade, in management of companies and enterprises, or in manufacturing.

Job Outlook

The number of jobs is projected to grow as fast as average for all occupations. Applicants will face keen competition for the limited number of top-level management jobs through 2016. Better opportunities are expected for lower-level management jobs. Demand should be strong for facility managers.

Employment change. Employment of administrative services managers is projected to grow 12 percent over the 2006-16 decade, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Demand should be strong for facility managers because businesses increasingly realize the importance of maintaining, securing, and efficiently operating their facilities, which are very large investments for most organizations. Cost-cutting measures to improve profitability, streamline operations, and compete globally will continue to be addressed by many public and private organizations, resulting in more firms outsourcing facility management services or hiring qualified facility managers who are capable achieving these goals in-house.

Administrative services managers employed in management services and management consulting should be in demand. The proliferation of facility management outsourcing should result in employment growth in facilities management firms as companies increasingly look to outside specialists to handle the myriad of tasks that have become increasingly complex and expensive. Some of the services outsourced include food service, space planning and design, janitorial, power plant, grounds, office, safety, property, video surveillance, maintenance and repairs, and parking management.

Job prospects. Applicants will face keen competition for the limited number of top-level management jobs; competition should be less severe for lower-level management jobs.

Despite average job growth, continuing corporate restructuring and increasing use of office technology may result in a more streamlined organizational structure with fewer levels of management, reducing the need for some middle management positions. This should adversely affect administrative services managers who oversee first-line managers. However, the effects of these changes on employment should be less severe for facility managers and other administrative services managers who have a wide range of responsibilities, than for other middle managers who specialize in certain functions. In addition to new administrative services management jobs created over the 2006-16 projection period, many job openings will stem from the need to replace workers who transfer to other jobs, retire, or leave the occupation for other reasons.

Job opportunities may vary from year to year because the strength of the economy affects demand for administrative services managers. Industries least likely to be affected by economic fluctuations tend to be the most stable places for employment.

Earnings

Earnings of administrative services managers vary greatly depending on the employer, the specialty, and the geographic area. In general, however, median annual earnings of wage and salary administrative services managers in May 2006 were $67,690. The middle 50 percent earned between $48,200 and $90,350. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $34,970, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $117,610. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of these managers were:

Management of companies and enterprises $77,040
General medical and surgical hospitals 72,210
State government 68,410
Local government 67,050
Colleges, universities, and professional schools 64,810

In the Federal Government, industrial specialists averaged $74,042 a year in 2007. Corresponding averages were $73,455 for facility operations services managers, $72,730 for industrial property managers, $65,351 for property disposal specialists, $71,948 for administrative officers, and $63,756 for support services administrators.

Sources of Additional Information

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For information about careers and education and degree programs in facility management, as well as the Certified Facility Manager designation, contact:

International Facility Management Association, 1 East Greenway Plaza, Suite 1100, Houston, TX 77046-0194. Internet: http://www.ifma.org

For information about the Certified Manager (CM) designation, contact:

Institute of Certified Professional Managers, James Madison University, MSC 5504, Harrisonburg, VA 22807.

For information on training and classes for professional office management personnel, contact:

Association of Professional Office Managers, 1 Research Court, Suite #450, Rockville, MD 20850. Internet: http://www.apomonline.org