Office manager Career Guide

An office manager’s responsibilities depend on their job description. However, broadly speaking, these are the main tasks assigned to them:

• Assisting the director;
• Managing or supporting administrative and general services;
• Ensuring smooth communication between senior management, the various departments and staff;
• Managing schedules, organising diaries and planning meetings;
• Managing cash flow in some companies;
• Answering telephone calls;
• Coordinating with suppliers and partners.

• In micro-enterprises: the office manager plays a highly versatile role, with a wide range of tasks covering administration, accounting, HR management and logistics.
• In SMEs: their role focuses more on coordination and management, acting as a link between senior management and the various departments.

Many private-sector organisations recruit for this role, particularly in new technologies, the legal sector (such as law firms) and the financial sector, especially accountancy firms.

Generally, they spend most of their time in the office.

Office managers may also work as freelancers. This is less common, but offers greater flexibility, as some very small businesses seek to hire external staff, as they do not always have the resources to fund a full-time office manager.

The office manager is often seen as the Anglo-Saxon equivalent of the executive assistant. But in reality, these two roles have significant differences.

• The executive assistant is primarily responsible for carrying out administrative and organisational tasks;
• Whereas the office manager occupies a more cross-functional and managerial role. They organise and directly oversee administrative management, staff supervision, etc. Their scope of responsibility is broader.

In terms of their day-to-day work, the executive assistant works almost exclusively with the organisation’s director, whilst the office manager acts as a link between senior management and other departments.

Over the years, if they possess the necessary skills, they may become head of a department within the company. For example, they may become an HR manager if they have completed a course of study in this field.

A senior professional with extensive experience and the required qualifications may be eligible for the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
They are then responsible for the overall management of the finances and administration of the company they work for. Some office managers do not hesitate to undertake further training to acquire the skills required for this career progression.

Here too, if the office manager has a qualified and experienced profile, they can easily qualify for a senior management position by becoming the company’s general secretary. This requires considerable expertise, as well as gradually climbing the ranks within the same organisation.