Office manager
Coordinate office services, supplier contracts and administrative staff.
Salary
Cited figures only: median full-time weekly earnings for the ANZSCO unit group Office Managers (5121) from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia), and where available the QILT graduate starting salary for the matching study area.
| Figure | AUD | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time weekly earnings | $1522 | Your Career (2026-09-23) |
Jobs, demand and who does this work
Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Office Manager (512111), the closest official match for office manager, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).
- People employed
- 128,000
- Future demand
- Moderate
- Work full-time
- 70%
- Average full-time hours
- 41 a week
- Women
- 82%
- Median age
- 48
Where the jobs are (share of workers)
| NSW | 29.9% |
| VIC | 24.4% |
| QLD | 22% |
| WA | 10.2% |
| SA | 7% |
| TAS | 2.3% |
| ACT | 2.7% |
| NT | 1.6% |
Highest qualification held by workers
| Postgraduate qualification | 5.6% |
| Bachelor degree | 16% |
| Diploma or advanced diploma | 17.2% |
| Certificate I-IV | 18.2% |
| Year 12 | 19.7% |
| Below Year 12 | 17.2% |
What an office manager actually does
Office managers run the operational backbone of an office. A typical day rotates between people, place and process. Mornings often start with a quick walk of the office, dealing with anything that's broken, meeting incoming visitors, and triaging the team inbox. The middle of the day is usually meetings: with suppliers about cleaning or IT, with HR or payroll about onboarding, or with finance about office costs. Afternoons go to reviewing supplier contracts, approving invoices, and supporting the broader leadership team with travel, diaries and event planning. Most roles are 38-40 hours a week, Monday-to-Friday, on-site. Workload spikes at office moves, new starter waves, audits, and major company events. The role is highly varied and a lot of the value comes from being the calm point of contact when something has gone sideways.
Typical tasks
- Lead and develop administration teams.
- Coordinate facility and supplier relationships.
- Oversee compliance and recordkeeping.
Skills you'll use
- Microsoft Office and shared collaboration tools (Teams, SharePoint, Google Workspace)
- Supplier and contract management
- Budget tracking and expense approval
- Basic finance, payroll and HR coordination
- Workplace health and safety basics
- Event and travel planning
- Calm decision-making under interruption
How to become one
- 1Finish Year 10 at minimum; Year 12 is preferred by most employers
- 2Build experience through reception, administration officer or executive-assistant roles
- 3Complete a Diploma of Business or Diploma of Leadership and Management through TAFE or a registered training organisation
- 4Apply for senior administrator, executive assistant or assistant office manager roles to take on first-line supervisory responsibility
- 5Step into office manager roles after 3-5 years; further study like an Advanced Diploma supports a move into operations or facilities management
Where you can work
- Law and accounting firms
- GP, dental and allied health practices
- Construction, engineering and trades businesses
- Real estate and property managers
- Federal, state and local government agencies
- Universities, schools and TAFEs
- Tech and start-up offices
Career progression
Typical stages and roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.
- Senior administrator0-3 yearsTypical roles: Senior administration officer, Executive assistant, Office coordinator
- Office manager4-8 yearsTypical roles: Office manager, Practice manager, Operations coordinator
- Senior office / operations manager8+ yearsTypical roles: Senior office manager, Workplace experience manager, Operations manager
Is this for you?
You might love this if
- You like running a tidy operation and noticing what needs fixing
- You can keep multiple conversations going without losing context
- You're patient with suppliers, contractors and busy executives
- You can hold confidential payroll and HR information
- You're comfortable being everyone's first stop for help
This might not suit you if
- You want pure strategic work with no operational firefighting
- You can't tolerate frequent interruptions
- You want fully remote work with no on-site requirement
- You dislike supplier and budget administration
Ways in
Uni and TAFE routes for office manager. We only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.
University
Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.
No direct undergraduate pathway. Consider postgraduate study after a related bachelor degree.
TAFE / VET
Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.
Sources
ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au) directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.