office officer
title: Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Office Officer
salary: $25,000 - $50,000 (annual, depending on location and experience)
categories: [Administration, Office Management, Operations, Facilities, Clerical]
description: A comprehensive overview of the key responsibilities, required technical skills and professional background for the role of a Office Officer.
Clear, SEO-optimized summary of the Office Officer role: The Office Officer is responsible for day-to-day office administration, facilities coordination, records and document control, vendor and procurement support, basic financial and invoice processing, and providing high-quality front-line customer service. This role ensures operational efficiency, supports executives and teams with scheduling and logistics, maintains office systems and compliance, and delivers reliable administrative support to advance organizational goals.
🎯 Role Definition
The Office Officer is a central administrative professional responsible for maintaining a smooth, safe and productive office environment. This role oversees reception and front-desk duties, internal office processes, vendor relationships, basic bookkeeping and invoice processing, supplies and inventory control, records management, and coordination of facilities, mail and travel. The Office Officer acts as a reliable point of contact for employees, external partners and suppliers, enforces office policies, and continuously seeks small process improvements that raise team productivity and reduce costs.
📈 Career Progression
Typical Career Path
Entry Point From:
- Administrative Assistant / Receptionist
- Office Coordinator / Front Desk Associate
- Accounts Clerk or Billing Assistant
Advancement To:
- Office Manager
- Operations Manager
- Facilities Manager
- Senior Administrative Officer
Lateral Moves:
- Executive Assistant
- HR Coordinator / HR Assistant
- Procurement or Purchasing Assistant
- Accounts Payable Specialist
Core Responsibilities
Primary Functions
- Greet and manage front-desk visitors professionally; handle incoming calls, emails and mail routing with high levels of customer service and confidentiality, ensuring all inquiries are resolved or escalated appropriately.
- Maintain and update accurate office records, filing systems (digital and physical), and document control procedures to ensure quick retrieval, compliance with retention schedules and adherence to internal audit requirements.
- Coordinate and manage office supplies and inventory: forecast needs, procure competitively priced items, manage vendor relationships, reconcile purchase orders and ensure timely restocking to prevent disruption of operations.
- Process invoices, expense claims and basic accounts payable transactions: verify receipts, code expenses, prepare payment batches and support the finance team with reconciliations and month-end documentation.
- Schedule and coordinate internal and external meetings, conference room bookings, video-conferencing setups, and meeting logistics including catering, IT setup and follow-up documentation.
- Manage travel arrangements and itineraries for staff and visiting clients: book travel, manage approvals, negotiate rates, prepare travel packs and reconcile travel expenses post-trip.
- Support HR-related administrative tasks such as onboarding logistics, issuing equipment and access cards, maintaining employee records, and coordinating background check schedules and orientation sessions.
- Ensure office facilities and equipment (printers, telephony, HVAC, security systems) are maintained: arrange preventative maintenance, coordinate repairs, and act as primary liaison with facilities and building management.
- Prepare clear, professional correspondence, memos, reports and minutes of meetings; distribute, archive and maintain version control for key internal documents.
- Implement and enforce office policies and procedures (security, safety, visitor access, records retention) and assist in the development and communication of process improvements to enhance operational efficiency.
- Coordinate vendor sourcing and contract management: solicit quotes, evaluate proposals, prepare purchase requests, track service-level agreements and ensure timely vendor performance.
- Monitor and manage petty cash and office budget lines; produce periodic spend reports, flag variances, and recommend cost-control measures to management.
- Administer and support office IT onboarding and access requests in coordination with the IT department; escalate incidents and follow through on resolution to minimize downtime.
- Oversee mailroom operations including inbound/outbound mail, courier scheduling and distribution of parcel deliveries, ensuring secure handling of confidential packages and timely delivery.
- Execute basic HR payroll support tasks when required: collect timesheets, verify leave records and forward validated information to the payroll or HRIS team.
- Conduct routine office safety checks and coordinate health & safety compliance activities, fire drills, first-aid readiness and emergency contact lists.
- Maintain and update centralized contact lists and directories for internal teams, clients and vendors; ensure data quality and privacy compliance in address books and CRM entries.
- Support project-based administrative activities such as event planning, team off-sites, internal workshops and small-scale procurement projects, ensuring adherence to budget and timelines.
- Train and mentor junior administrative staff or temporary office assistants, delegate tasks appropriately and ensure service continuity during absences or high-volume periods.
- Handle confidential HR and corporate documentation with discretion and professional ethics, ensuring compliance with data protection and privacy policies.
- Prepare and deliver periodic administrative performance and KPI reports to departmental leadership, highlighting opportunities to streamline processes and reduce cost.
- Facilitate lease and space planning coordination with landlords and office planners, including seating plans, access control provisioning and office layout changes to support organizational growth.
Secondary Functions
- Support ad-hoc reporting requests and prepare administrative dashboards (office spend, supplies usage, meeting room utilization) to inform operational decisions.
- Assist in small procurement projects and sourcing exercises, including supplier research, quotation comparison and contract documentation support.
- Contribute to the organization's business continuity and office resilience plans by maintaining contact rosters, backup vendors and alternative workspace arrangements.
- Participate in cross-functional initiatives to improve employee experience (wellness activities, internal communications, recognition programs) and support company culture events.
- Assist with vendor onboarding and risk assessments by collecting insurance certificates, service agreements and required compliance documentation.
- Coordinate office moves and furniture refresh projects, including scheduling, vendor coordination and inventory reconciliation.
Required Skills & Competencies
Hard Skills (Technical)
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office suite — Excel (VLOOKUP, basic pivot tables), Word, Outlook and PowerPoint for daily reporting, correspondence and presentations.
- Experience with office management systems and tools (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, Teams) for scheduling and collaboration.
- Basic bookkeeping and invoice processing experience (accounts payable workflow, purchase orders, expense reconciliation).
- Familiarity with records management and document control systems, including scanning, indexing, and retention policy compliance.
- Practical knowledge of facilities and vendor management, including supplier sourcing, contract follow-up and service-level monitoring.
- Experience using CRM, HRIS or ERP systems for contact and employee record updates (e.g., BambooHR, SAP, Oracle NetSuite, Salesforce).
- Competence in scheduling and calendar management for executives and teams, including time-zone coordination and resource booking.
- Ability to draft professional communications, meeting minutes and standard operating procedures with strong attention to grammar and clarity.
- Basic data entry, reporting and spreadsheet manipulation skills for preparing admin dashboards and budget tracking.
- Familiarity with office health & safety standards and basic emergency preparedness procedures.
Soft Skills
- Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to prioritize multiple tasks and manage competing deadlines in a fast-paced office environment.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills; customer-service oriented with a professional phone and front-desk presence.
- High attention to detail and accuracy when handling financial records, legal documents and confidential information.
- Problem-solving mindset and initiative to identify gaps and propose practical process improvements.
- Discretion and integrity when managing sensitive HR, financial or contractual information.
- Adaptability and resilience to manage changing priorities, special projects and ad-hoc requests.
- Team player with collaborative attitude and ability to work cross-functionally with HR, Finance, IT and Facilities teams.
- Time management and self-motivation; able to complete tasks independently with minimal supervision.
- Vendor negotiation and relationship-building skills to maintain cost-effective procurement and responsive service.
- Customer-focused approach with patience, tact and diplomacy when interacting with staff, suppliers and visitors.
Education & Experience
Educational Background
Minimum Education:
- High school diploma or equivalent; vocational certificate in office administration or business administration preferred.
Preferred Education:
- Associate degree or Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Office Management, Hospitality Management or related field.
Relevant Fields of Study:
- Business Administration
- Office/Administrative Management
- Hospitality or Facilities Management
- Accounting / Finance (basic)
- Human Resources (administrative focus)
Experience Requirements
Typical Experience Range:
- 1–5 years of progressive administrative or office support experience; experience in a corporate or fast-paced professional services environment is highly valued.
Preferred:
- 2–4 years performing office officer, office coordinator or executive assistant responsibilities, with demonstrable experience in vendor management, invoice processing and facilities coordination.
- Prior exposure to HR onboarding processes, records management and basic bookkeeping/accounting workflows is a strong plus.
- Experience supporting multi-site operations or coordinating across multiple teams and external suppliers preferred.