What We Look for When Recruiting
for office manager jobs nationwide
In addition to prior office management experience, a good background for an office manager is experience as an administrative assistant at a small company where as part of their job they took on some office management responsibilities. Someone with heavy event planning experience or from the hospitality industry also may have the right experience because they are accustomed to juggling many functions and priorities and have proven themselves to have the necessary agility. Office managers become embedded in the organization and are trusted employees who are essential to senior management for making “the trains run on time.”
Why choose C-Suite?
Because we have been in business for nearly 20 years, C-Suite has an extensive database of qualified assistants. Using this database, we can locate specific skillsets that correlate with the exact needs of your executive assistant position.
Essential Qualities Needed for
office manager positions
Maturity and the ability to make decisions and work independently are essential qualities of a good office manager. They must also be available 24/7 and be flexible to deal with any type of situation. In one day, the office manager may be down on her knees underneath a desk, troubleshooting an internet failure; and then host an international client visit in the conference room. The next day the morning may begin by pitching in to cover the phones for the receptionist out on jury duty and then meeting with an interior design firm to select new furniture for the office. The job takes tremendous resourcefulness, mental agility and interpersonal skills.
The Responsibilities of
office managers may include:
- Management of Executive Assistants, Receptionists and other direct reports
- Management of Facilities; overseeing the running of the office. This often involves the orchestration of an office move, working with real estate agents, finalizing contracts and sourcing new vendors, while lowering monthly overhead and serving as the primary contact for the building management.
- Human Resources: Management of the benefit program, payroll, recruitment and onboarding of new employees, planning and executing annual offsite teambuilding and monthly social events
- Technology: IT Management including implementation of new phone systems, purchase of new computer systems, troubleshooting any issues and managing outsourced IT Vendors
- Management of Operating Budgets; reconciling expense reports
- Coordination of all Company travel
Office Manager Position
for smaller offices
In small offices, the job is often a hybrid role combined with other non-office management responsibilities. One of our clients, a small NYC satellite office of a European asset management firm, needed an Office Manager to run the facility and also perform Investor Relations functions such as putting together pitch books and other marketing materials and manage CRM systems for Sales/Relationship Managers. The successful candidate had several years of Executive Assistant experience working for an asset management firm and at that firm had been promoted to an investor relations role. When she was introduced to our client, she was well along in her career and returning to the work force after raising a family. She had the maturity and poise to deal with sophisticated institutional investors, liaise with the London office and hold the fort, and work alone in the office when the Sales team was traveling.
Office Manager Positions
& common career paths
The office manager often reports to the CEO, the CFO or the COO. The career path is often from a smaller firm to a larger firm, or to be promoted to Chief Administrative Officer. Talented office managers also are often given the opportunity to move into a functional area which suits their interest and talents—areas such as investor relations, finance or compliance.
What Our Clients Look for
when hiring an office manager:
- Prior experience managing, hiring and training an administrative staff
- Prior experience in moving an office
- Flexibility
- Technical aptitude and skills
- Maturity and strong emotional IQ
If you are a growing firm or looking to replace or hire an office manager, we are eager to assist you in your search.
Recent Office Manager Hires
- San Ramon
- CA
