Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Administrative Associate

🎯 Role Definition

The Administrative Associate role is a pivotal operational position responsible for providing comprehensive administrative support across departments, managing communications, coordinating logistics, maintaining records, and ensuring efficient office operations. This is an ideal opportunity for a proactive, detail‑oriented professional who thrives in a dynamic environment and supports teams to deliver excellence.

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📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

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

Advancement To:

• Senior Administrative Associate
• Office Manager
• Executive Assistant / Operations Coordinator

Lateral Moves:

• Project Coordinator
• Business Support Specialist
• Facilities & Operations Associate

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Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

1. Answer incoming phone calls, direct them appropriately or take accurate messages, and manage a busy multiline system.
2. Greet visitors, provide support at the reception area, and maintain a professional and welcoming office environment.
3. Schedule and coordinate meetings, appointments, conference calls and video‑conferences, ensuring optimal use of calendars and resources.
4. Organize domestic and international travel arrangements for staff: flights, accommodation, ground transport, and itinerary management.
5. Prepare, review and distribute correspondence, memos, letters, forms, reports and presentations with high attention to detail.
6. Maintain and manage physical and electronic filing systems, ensuring accurate record‑keeping, easy retrieval and regulatory compliance.
7. Manage office supplies, inventory, equipment maintenance, liaise with vendors, and ensure cost‑effective procurement of consumables.
8. Perform data entry, update spreadsheets and databases, compile and analyse data to support department decision‑making.
9. Process petty cash, invoice payments, expense reports and track departmental budgets, ensuring accuracy and adherence to policies.
10. Provide administrative support to human resources functions including onboarding, timesheet tracking, leave reconciliation, and coordination with HR staff.
11. liaise and coordinate across multiple departments, acting as a bridge between teams and external stakeholders to support operational workflows.
12. Organise and support special events, conferences, workshops, including logistics, catering, travel, and attendee support.
13. Assist in project support tasks – tracking deliverables, deadlines, preparing background material, and monitoring progress.
14. Handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion and maintain high level of professionalism.
15. Draft and maintain internal procedures, office policies, and contribute to continuous improvement of administrative processes.
16. Coordinate with IT/Facilities/Operations teams for office maintenance, equipment repairs, fleet or vehicle scheduling and requisitions.
17. Monitor incoming deliveries, manage mail and courier services, ensure items are logged and communicated to relevant staff.
18. Support content creation for internal communications, marketing campaigns or cross‑functional initiatives when required.
19. Act as a reliable point of contact for junior staff or support personnel, providing guidance and assisting with training and onboarding.
20. Generate periodic reports, prepare summaries, and present data to management to facilitate decision‑making and track performance metrics.

Secondary Functions

• Support ad‑hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
• Contribute to the organisation’s data strategy and roadmap.
• Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
• Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

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Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and Google Workspace tools.
• Strong filing and records management skills — both physical and electronic.
• Travel and logistics coordination experience, including booking, itineraries and expense reconciliation.
• Data entry, spreadsheet management and basic data analysis skills (e.g., creating reports, dashboards).
• Supplier/vendor management and procurement handling (ordering office supplies, equipment maintenance).
• Knowledge of basic accounting or budget tracking practices (petty cash, invoices, payments).
• Excellent written communication skills — drafting letters, memos, reports and correspondence.
• Excellent verbal communication and front‑desk etiquette — reception, visitor management, phone handling.
• Ability to use office equipment and software tools: copiers, scanners, teleconference systems.
• Experience with event support, meeting logistics, calendars and travel planning.

Soft Skills

• Exceptional organisational and time‑management skills — able to prioritise tasks and manage multiple deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy in all administrative outputs.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and also collaborate across teams.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer‑service orientation — interfacing with staff, vendors, guests.
• Adaptability and flexibility to changing priorities and fast‑paced environments.
• Discretion and confidentiality when dealing with sensitive information and communications.
• Problem‑solving mindset and ability to improve or optimise administrative processes.
• Professional written and verbal communication skills – clear, courteous and effective.
• Strong teamwork skills, able to support junior staff and coordinate across functions.
• Proactive mindset — anticipating needs, acting before asked, and adding value to daily operations.

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Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:
High School Diploma or equivalent.

Preferred Education:
Associate’s degree or Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Office Management or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

• Business Administration
• Office Management
• Communications
• Human Resources

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:
1–3 years of relevant administrative support experience for early career roles; 3–5 years or more for more senior level Administrative Associate positions.

Preferred:
Experience in a fast‑paced office environment, experience supporting multiple departments or senior leadership, prior travel/logistics coordination, budget/expense handling.