S5S5 — Principal Support Specialist
Lead
Highest level administrative support, often titled Senior Executive Assistant, Office Manager, or Administrative Manager. May combine executive support with oversight of all administrative operations.
What this level means
Top support IC: subject-matter authority and program-level support strategy.
- Scope
- Function-wide support practice
- Autonomy
- Sets direction for the support discipline
- Complexity
- Program-level and systemic support problems
- Impact
- Support strategy across the function
- Decision rights
- Authority over support practice and standards
- Leadership
- Subject-matter authority; shapes the practice
- Typical experience
- 8–12 yrs
What you'd do
- Oversee full spectrum of administrative activities.
- Lead significant organizational projects.
- Manage administrative budgets.
- Develop and enforce office policies and best practices.
- Coach and manage the administrative staff team.
- Oversee administrative activities.
- Lead projects.
- Manage budgets.
- Develop policies.
- Coach staff.
Skills, knowledge & tools
- Administrative oversight
- Project leadership
- Budget management
- Policy development
- Staff coaching
- Leadership
- Business strategy
- Vendor negotiation
- Administrative operations
- Project management
- Financial management
- Policy development
- Staff management
- Leadership principles
- Business acumen
- Vendor management
- Leadership and vision
- Business acumen
- Negotiation and vendor management
- Financial oversight
- Change management
What good looks like
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree
- 8+ years in advanced admin roles
- Expertise with enterprise resource planning systems
- Professional management certifications
Common titles
Principal Administrative Assistant
What it pays
Market-pay benchmarks for this family × level are being recalibrated across all survey sources and will return shortly.
O*NET / SOC: 13-0000 — Business & Financial Operations Occupations (inferred)