Who is an Assistant Manager?
An assistant manager refers to a person employed by an organization and has a manager’s authority. He or she is normally superior to the supervisor and team leader and in most instances report to either the manager or deputy manager.An assistant manager can also be seen as a manager who is still under training and he or she could be learning the various duties and responsibilities that managers perform.
Someone can be an assistant manager in different departments such as procurement, operations, sales, marketing, production, supply chain, human resources, customer care, logistics and many others.
Duties and Responsibilities of Assistant Managers
The assistant manager position being a level of management and not an area, the duties and responsibilities will vary greatly depending on which department or area of specialization one work in.It is almost impossible to come up with a list of specific duties that assistant managers do. However, the common duties that most assistant managers do include the following:
- Assisting the deputy manager or manager in the running their day-to-day duties
- Overseeing, advising and supervising employees and giving feedback to the manager in charge
- They may be expected to complete daily reports which go to the manager in charge or senior management
- Assigning and rescheduling employees to various duties that arise.
- Resolving conflicts among employees and ensuring there is general order in their places of work
- Standing in for managers when they are on leave or when the position becomes vacant.
- Be the link between employees and senior management
- Set appointments and meeting in consultation with the manager
- Be a link between the department they are working in and other departments
Academic and Other Qualification
Academic and other qualification that assistant managers need to have will greatly vary from one organization to another. Some organization might consider experience to be very important than even academic qualification while others will consider both.Normally, for one to be an assistant manager there are a number of things he or she should possess and they include:
- Experience in the working environment and industry they work in. Whenever someone shows mastery in the position they hold, they could then be promoted to be assistant managers
- Have a master, bachelor or associated degree or a diploma in any stream field preferable in the relevant area of work but this is not a must requirement for all assistant managers.
- People who have qualification in management will have an added advantage
- All assistant managers should possess a minimum qualification of a high school diploma
If you have an assistant manager who might not be having a bachelors or masters degree, it does mean he or she will perform well. The senior management looks at different things when selecting someone to be an assistant manager.
Skills and Traits that Assistant Managers Need to Possess
In addition to the academic qualification that assistant managers need to have, they need to possess the following skills and traits:- Be good team players
- Have good leadership skills
- Have good interpersonal skills
- Possess good communication skills
- Have excellent problem resolving skills
- Be confident, enthusiastic and have the drive or influence on others
- Be able to work under much pressure and handle some tasks and assignments that might be challenging
- Have good decision-making skills
Salaries of Assistant Managers
The salaries that most assistant managers receive are between what ordinary employees get and what the manager gets in a given organization.Being a level of management rather than a job position, the exact figures that different assistant managers earn will vary so much depending on the industry, experience, academic qualification and organization.
The average pay of assistant managers is about $46, 680. However, it should be very clear that some professions pay much higher than others do. Medical, legal and engineering assistant managers are likely to attract higher salaries compared to people in the other fields.