What Does a Project Administrator Do?

A typical project administrator job description involves overseeing and monitoring all aspects of a particular project. Specifically, an employee in this position must make sure a project’s goals and timelines are met without exceeding budget limitations. A project administrator is also responsible for preparing project reports and is generally required to submit regular reports to a project director.

The exact duties may vary, but all are usually responsible for the day-to-day operations of a particular project. In addition to monitoring budgets, tracking timelines and preparing progress reports, the administrator of a project may also be responsible for supervising multiple employees and contractors in an effort to assure that a project’s goals are professionally met. This position is found in a variety of industries including real estate, construction, commercial, government and nonprofit industries.

Most project administrator jobs require a college degree, as well as significant experience managing projects or time spent working as an assistant administrator. Many who are currently employed in this field have a degree in accounting or business administration and management. Some people meet certain requirements due to on-the-job training, but this route generally takes several years of work experience and training before an individual can be considered as a qualified candidate.

Project administrators are often required to email documents, create spreadsheets and perform a variety of computer-related tasks. Some employers may even require an administrator to work with specialized software for reporting and tracking purposes. Administrators assigned to work on projects must, therefore, be computer literate and able to easily acquire new technological skills as needed.

In order to properly oversee budgets, staff members, timelines and essential functions, the administrator must be able to competently perform multiple tasks. Such requires other skills including good organization and strong time-management skills. In order to work well with key staff and management members, an administrator must also have strong written and verbal communication skills.

Jobs that require companies to bid on contracts or apply for grant funding often rely on a project administrator to contribute knowledge and expertise in preparing for these efforts. In particular, the administrator may be called upon to provide input when a company is evaluating proposals and may be asked to contribute to the drafting of proposals by way of creating line items in a budget, as well as by identifying how many staff members a future project may require if a contract is awarded.