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ANZSCO 5121Skill level 2Business and finance

Office manager

Coordinate office services, supplier contracts and administrative staff.

Salary

Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.

FigureAUDSource
Full-time weekly earnings$1650Job Outlook (2025-06-01)

How far does this stretch in each city?

What a 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

  1. 1Finish Year 10 at minimum; Year 12 is preferred by most employers
  2. 2Build experience through reception, administration officer or executive-assistant roles
  3. 3Complete a Diploma of Business or Diploma of Leadership and Management through TAFE or a registered training organisation
  4. 4Apply for senior administrator, executive assistant or assistant office manager roles to take on first-line supervisory responsibility
  5. 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 salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.

  1. Senior administrator
    0-3 years
    Typical roles: Senior administration officer, Executive assistant, Office coordinator
    Salary band: $65,000 - $80,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  2. Office manager
    4-8 years
    Typical roles: Office manager, Practice manager, Operations coordinator
    Salary band: $80,000 - $110,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  3. Senior office / operations manager
    8+ years
    Typical 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

Three ways in

Uni, TAFE and trade routes for office manager. Not every career has all three; 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.

Apprenticeship trade

Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.

Not an apprenticeship trade.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.