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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Office Manager

💰 $ - $

OperationsAdministrationOffice Management

🎯 Role Definition

The Office Manager is the operational backbone of a busy office environment. This role ensures smooth day-to-day administration, manages facilities and vendors, supports HR and finance functions, and continuously improves office processes. An effective Office Manager balances tactical execution (scheduling, purchasing, facilities maintenance) with strategic improvements (streamlining workflows, vendor negotiation, policy development) to enable teams to focus on core business priorities. SEO focus keywords: Office Manager, office administration, facilities management, vendor management, office operations, administrative support.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Administrative Assistant
  • Receptionist / Front Desk Coordinator
  • Office Coordinator / Operations Coordinator

Advancement To:

  • Office Director / Head of Office Operations
  • Operations Manager
  • Facilities Manager / Workplace Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • HR Coordinator / HR Generalist
  • Executive Assistant
  • Procurement Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Manage all daily office operations, including reception oversight, mail and shipping, office supplies procurement, inventory management, and maintaining an organized, professional workplace that aligns with company brand and safety standards.
  • Oversee facilities and vendor relationships—source, negotiate and manage contracts with cleaning services, security, local vendors, furniture suppliers, and building management to ensure service level agreements are met and costs are optimized.
  • Administer onboarding and offboarding logistics for new hires and departing employees, coordinating workstations, IT equipment setup and returns, access badges, and welcome orientation resources to create a consistent employee experience.
  • Execute office budgeting and expense management: prepare and track monthly office expense forecasts, reconcile invoices, process purchase orders, and collaborate with Finance to ensure accurate coding and timely payments.
  • Lead procurement for non-capital office needs: evaluate supplier proposals, negotiate terms, maintain preferred vendor lists, and enforce purchasing policies to control spend and improve service quality.
  • Provide HR administrative support such as maintaining confidential personnel files, coordinating benefits enrollment paperwork, scheduling interviews, and assisting with leaves, accommodations, and payroll reporting requirements.
  • Maintain and improve office systems and workflows: document administrative processes, implement tools and templates, and standardize procedures to increase efficiency and reduce operational friction across teams.
  • Coordinate executive and company-wide calendars, large meeting logistics, conference room scheduling, catering and AV needs for internal and external events to ensure polished execution.
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for IT/Facilities escalations: triage requests, open and track tickets with vendors or internal IT, and follow through to resolution to minimize downtime.
  • Plan and manage office moves, remodels and space optimization projects—coordinate timelines, contractors, furniture delivery, floorplans and communications to stakeholders.
  • Oversee workplace safety, building compliance and emergency preparedness: maintain first aid supplies, fire and safety checklists, OSHA-relevant documentation (where applicable), and coordinate annual safety drills and vendor inspections.
  • Maintain fixed asset inventory and office asset lifecycle: track computers, phones and office equipment, organize tagging and disposal or returns, and coordinate warranty or repair claims.
  • Monitor and report on office performance metrics—budget vs. actual, vendor SLA compliance, supply usage and help-desk ticket trends—to leadership with recommendations for improvements.
  • Manage travel and expense logistics for staff when required: coordinate complex travel itineraries, corporate card usage guidance, and assist with expense report troubleshooting to ensure compliance with company policies.
  • Act as a culture and employee experience champion: organize company events, team-building activities, internal communications for office news, and manage employee recognition programs that foster engagement.
  • Implement and maintain record retention and office administrative policies, including confidentiality and data-handling procedures to protect sensitive company and employee information.
  • Support regulatory and lease-related tasks: liaise with building management for lease renewals, coordinate utilities, parking allocations, and manage access and security protocols for visitors and contractors.
  • Provide ad-hoc administrative project support including cross-functional initiatives such as benefits open enrollment logistics, conference planning, and executive-level meeting preparation.
  • Supervise, mentor and develop administrative staff (receptionists, office coordinators, facilities technicians), set priorities, conduct performance reviews and ensure adequate coverage for office needs.
  • Develop and manage emergency and continuity plans for the workplace, including remote work logistics, vendor backup plans, and communication trees for critical incidents.
  • Continuously evaluate and implement office technology and SaaS tools (e.g., room booking systems, expense platforms, help-desk ticketing) to automate repetitive tasks and elevate service levels.

Secondary Functions

  • Prepare recurring and ad-hoc operational reports and presentations for leadership that summarize office spending, vendor performance, and space utilization insights to inform decision making.
  • Support HR and Finance teams with periodic audits and documentation collection for benefits, payroll, and compliance-related activities.
  • Assist in basic bookkeeping and accounts reconciliation for office budgets, petty cash, and vendor invoices to support month-end close and budget forecasting.
  • Coordinate with marketing and facilities to maintain office branding, signage and visitor experience, ensuring a professional and welcoming environment for clients and candidates.
  • Facilitate cross-functional communications for campus-wide initiatives and coordinate logistics for external partners, contractors and auditors.
  • Manage small capital projects end-to-end: vendor selection, scope documentation, timeline tracking, and quality control sign-off at project completion.
  • Act as liaison to building management for service escalations, utility outages, and tenant improvements to minimize business disruption.
  • Facilitate sustainability and cost-reduction initiatives such as recycling programs, energy efficiency projects, and vendor consolidation efforts.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint) and Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Calendar) for scheduling, reporting and documentation.
  • Experience with office productivity and facilities tools such as room booking systems, help-desk/ticketing tools (Zendesk, ServiceNow), and visitor management platforms.
  • Familiarity with accounting and expense tools: QuickBooks, Concur, Expensify, or similar AP/expense processing systems for invoice handling and budget reconciliation.
  • Vendor sourcing and contract negotiation skills, including RFP creation, bid evaluation, and contract management best practices.
  • Basic bookkeeping and budget management: P&L awareness for an office budget, PO creation, invoice coding and month-end reconciliations.
  • Knowledge of HRIS or applicant tracking systems (BambooHR, Workday, Greenhouse) to support onboarding and personnel record-keeping.
  • Facility management knowledge, including lease administration basics, building services coordination, and vendor SLA monitoring.
  • Project management skills to lead office moves, remodels and cross-functional initiatives—use of tools such as Asana, Trello, or Monday.com is preferred.
  • Ability to create and maintain operational reports and dashboards using Excel/Google Sheets (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/INDEX-MATCH, basic formulas).
  • Familiarity with workplace safety standards, basic emergency preparedness planning and compliance documentation.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to prioritize competing demands and manage time-sensitive tasks across multiple stakeholders.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills for interacting with executives, team members, vendors and building management.
  • High level of discretion and confidentiality when handling personnel records, financial documents and sensitive communications.
  • Customer-service orientation and professional demeanor: responsive, solution-focused and empathetic to employee needs.
  • Problem-solving mindset with the ability to triage issues rapidly and escalate appropriately while maintaining calm under pressure.
  • Leadership and people-management skills to coach administrative staff, set expectations and drive continuous improvement.
  • Adaptability and resourcefulness in a fast-paced, changing environment.
  • Negotiation and influence skills to secure favorable vendor terms and resolve cross-departmental priorities.
  • Attention to detail for invoice review, compliance tasks and asset tracking.
  • Initiative and ownership mentality: proactively identify gaps and lead implementation of practical improvements.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, Human Resources, Communications, or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Management
  • Human Resources
  • Communications
  • Facilities Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–7 years of progressively responsible administrative, office coordination or operations experience.

Preferred:

  • 3–5+ years as an Office Manager or similar role supporting multiple stakeholders and managing vendors, budgets and facilities.
  • Experience supervising administrative staff and managing cross-functional projects.
  • Prior exposure to corporate HR processes, basic finance/accounting procedures, and facilities or workplace operations.
  • Certifications a plus: Certified Administrative Professional (CAP), SHRM-CP/PHR, or facility management credentials.
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