Administrative Services Manager

Administrative services and facilities managers plan, direct, and coordinate activities that help an organization run efficiently. The specific responsibilities vary, but these managers typically maintain facilities and supervise activities that include recordkeeping, mail distribution, and office upkeep. In a small organization, they may direct all support services and may be called the business office manager. Large organizations may have several layers of administrative managers who specialize in different areas.

Duties

Administrative services and facilities managers typically do the following:

  • Supervise clerical and administrative staff
  • Set goals and deadlines for their department
  • Develop, manage, and monitor records
  • Recommend changes to policies or procedures in order to improve operations, such as reassessing supplies or recordkeeping
  • Monitor facilities to make sure that they remain safe, secure, and well maintained
  • Oversee the maintenance and repair of machinery, equipment, and electrical and mechanical systems
  • Make sure that facilities meet environmental, health, and security standards and comply with regulations

Administrative services and facilities managers plan, coordinate, and direct a broad range of activities that allow organizations to run efficiently. An organization may have several managers who oversee services for multiple departments, such as mail, printing and copying, recordkeeping, security, building maintenance, and recycling.

Specific tasks and responsibilities may vary. For example, an administrative services manager might be responsible for making sure that the organization has the supplies and services it needs. A manager who coordinates space allocation might consider employee morale and available funds when determining how to arrange a physical space.

Administrative services and facilities managers may examine energy consumption patterns, technology use, and office equipment. They also may plan for maintenance and replacement of equipment, such as computers.

The following are examples of types of administrative services managers:

Facilities managers oversee buildings, grounds, equipment, and supplies. Their responsibilities cover several categories, including operations, maintenance, and planning and managing projects.

Facilities managers may oversee renovation projects to improve efficiency or to meet regulations and environmental, health, and security standards. For example, they may recommend energy-saving alternatives or efficiencies that reduce waste. In addition, they continually monitor facilities to ensure that the premises are safe, secure, and well maintained. Facilities managers also direct staff, including grounds maintenance workers, janitors and building cleaners, and general maintenance and repair workers.

Records and information managers develop, monitor, and manage an organization’s records. They provide information to chief executives and ensure that employees follow records and information management guidelines. They may direct the operations of onsite or offsite records facilities. These managers also work closely with an organization’s attorneys and its technology and business operations staff. Records and information managers do not handle medical records, which are administered by medical and health services managers.

Work Environment

Administrative services managers held about 239,000 jobs in 2021. The largest employers of administrative services managers were as follows:

Educational services; state, local, and private 14%
Professional, scientific, and technical services 12
Local government, excluding education and hospitals                                            9
Finance and insurance 9
Management of companies and enterprises 6

Facilities managers held about 109,100 jobs in 2021. The largest employers of facilities managers were as follows:

Educational services; state, local, and private 15%
Healthcare and social assistance 11
Manufacturing 10
Local government, excluding education and hospitals 8
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services      6

Administrative services and facilities managers spend much of their day in an office. They may observe workers throughout the building, go outdoors to supervise groundskeeping activities, or visit other facilities they direct.

Work Schedules

Most administrative services and facilities managers work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Facilities managers often are on call to address problems that arise at all hours.

Education and Training

Educational requirements for administrative services and facilities managers vary by organization and the work they do. But these workers typically need a bachelor’s degree and related work experience.

Education

Administrative services and facilities managers typically need a bachelor’s degree, often in business or a related field. However, some people enter the occupation with a high school diploma.

Work Experience

Administrative services and facilities managers must have related work experience that reflects managerial and leadership abilities. Facilities managers should have experience in business operations, project management, and building maintenance, such as from having worked as a general maintenance and repair worker or a cost estimator. Records and information managers should have administrative or business operations experience involving recordkeeping. Records and information managers in the legal field often must have experience as a paralegal or legal assistant.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Although it is not required, professional certification may give candidates an advantage when applying for jobs.

Several professional associations for administrative services and facilities managers offer certifications. Some associations, including the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), offer certification that specializes in facility management. Others offering certification include the Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM), for records and information managers, and the ARMA International for those specializing in information governance.

Personality and Interests

Administrative services managers typically have an interest in the Persuading and Organizing interest areas, according to the Holland Code framework. The Persuading interest area indicates a focus on influencing, motivating, and selling to other people. The Organizing interest area indicates a focus on working with information and processes to keep things arranged in orderly systems.

If you are not sure whether you have a Persuading or Organizing interest which might fit with a career as an administrative services manager, you can take a career test to measure your interests.

Administrative services managers should also possess the following specific qualities:

Analytical skills. Administrative services managers must be able to review an organization’s procedures and find ways to improve efficiency.

Communication skills. Much of an administrative services manager’s time is spent working with other people. Therefore, communication is a key quality.

Detail oriented. Administrative services managers must pay attention to details. This quality is necessary across a range of tasks, from ensuring that the organization complies with building codes to managing the process of buying equipment.

Leadership skills. In managing workers and coordinating administrative duties, administrative services managers must be able to motivate employees and deal with issues that may arise.

Pay

The median annual wage for administrative services managers was $100,170 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $59,470, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $168,910.

The median annual wage for facilities managers was $97,930 in May 2021. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $59,010, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $161,140.

In May 2021, the median annual wages for administrative services managers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Management of companies and enterprises $125,690
Finance and insurance 122,860
Professional, scientific, and technical services 119,450
Local government, excluding education and hospitals                                           100,070
Educational services; state, local, and private 94,410

In May 2021, the median annual wages for facilities managers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Manufacturing $106,210
Local government, excluding education and hospitals 98,340
Educational services; state, local, and private 94,520
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services      90,850
Healthcare and social assistance 81,150

Most administrative services and facilities managers work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Facilities managers often are on call to address problems that arise at all hours.

Job Outlook

Overall employment of administrative services and facilities managers is projected to grow 7 percent from 2021 to 2031, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

About 31,900 openings for administrative services and facilities managers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. 

Employment

Administrative tasks, including facilities management and records and information management, will remain important in a range of industries.

A continuing focus on the environmental impact and energy efficiency of buildings will keep facilities managers in demand. Improving energy efficiency can reduce costs and often is required by regulation. For example, building codes typically ensure that buildings meet environmental standards. Facilities managers will be needed to oversee these improvements in a wide range of areas, from heating and air-conditioning systems to roofing. In addition, facilities managers will be needed to plan for natural disasters, ensuring that any damage to a building will be minimal and that the organization can get back to work quickly.

“Smart building” technology is expected to affect the work of facilities managers over the next decade. This technology will provide facilities managers with timely and detailed information, such as equipment failure alerts and reminders to do maintenance. This information should allow facilities managers to complete their work more efficiently.

Employment of records and information managers also is expected to grow. Demand is expected to be particularly strong for those working in “information governance,” which includes the privacy and legal aspects of records management. As cloud computing continues to expand, records and information managers will have a critical role in helping organizations develop new records and information management practices and in maintaining data security.

For More Information

For more information about facilities management and related certifications, visit

International Facility Management Association

For more information about records and information management and related certifications, visit

ARMA International

Institute of Certified Records Managers

FAQ

Where does this information come from?

The career information above is taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. This excellent resource for occupational data is published by the U.S. Department of Labor every two years. Truity periodically updates our site with information from the BLS database.

I would like to cite this page for a report. Who is the author?

There is no published author for this page. Please use citation guidelines for webpages without an author available. 

I think I have found an error or inaccurate information on this page. Who should I contact?

This information is taken directly from the Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Truity does not editorialize the information, including changing information that our readers believe is inaccurate, because we consider the BLS to be the authority on occupational information. However, if you would like to correct a typo or other technical error, you can reach us at help@truity.com.

I am not sure if this career is right for me. How can I decide?

There are many excellent tools available that will allow you to measure your interests, profile your personality, and match these traits with appropriate careers. On this site, you can take the Career Personality Profiler assessment, the Holland Code assessment, or the Photo Career Quiz.

Get Our Newsletter