what is an assistant manager?

Also referred to as an associate manager, an assistant manager is an individual who implements workflow procedures under the instruction of a manager. As an assistant manager, you have to know how to conduct various tasks, such as hiring and training new employees and providing customer support. Other important duties and responsibilities you’re expected to perform as an assistant manager include:

  • Monitoring the company’s spending patterns and budget
  • Developing proper customer relationships
  • Scheduling meetings and coordinating them
  • Reviewing the performance of the company’s employees
  • Filling in for the general manager when they are absent

assistant manager requires prior experience

As an assistant manager, you need to have a significant number of years of prior experience in the field you’re expecting to manage. This experience is important because you’ll be solving numerous workplace problems, giving directions and recommendations, and doing other tasks that require practical knowledge. For instance, many companies require assistant managers to be very skilled at solving problems quickly and having organising skills. Besides these, proving that you have great interpersonal in your previous job roles can make you an ideal candidate.

assistant manager jobs
1

average salary of an assistant manager

An assistant manager earns between £21,000 and £27,000 per year. On top of that, as an assistant manager, you will often have the chance to earn a cash bonus and commission each year, which vary depending on the company you’re working for.

The first obvious factor that determines how much you earn as an assistant manager is experience. The more experience you have, the higher your salary will be. Second, before determining your pay, some employees will consider your individual performance in your previous positions. Third, the working conditions or environment often play a significant role in an assistant manager’s salary. Finally, the company and industry you’re expecting to work in will determine your pay scale. If the company is among the large corporations that offer higher compensation and employee perks, you can expect a higher pay scale. Similarly, if you’re in a fast-growing industry, such as real estate, financial services or healthcare, you can expect to earn significantly higher than other sectors.

2

types of assistant managers

Though assistant managers almost always coordinate with upper management in their given division, there are multiple versions of the role. The first common type of assistant manager is assistant general manager. In this position, your job will be to assist the general manager to determine overall business strategies. You can also become an assistant marketing manager if you’re more interested in helping to identify customer needs. Some of the things you will be responsible for in this position include assisting in conducting marketing research and making product and promotion decisions. Many people looking to become assistant managers also consider the assistant operations manager role. This type of assistant manager is responsible for supervising an organization’s daily operations under the direction of the operations manager.

3

working as an assistant manager

When you become an assistant manager, you will be responsible for supervising employees as well as carrying out your own assigned duties in an office or retail environment.

assistant manager job description

Usually, the most important responsibility of an assistant manager is supervising your team. As an assistant manager, you should expect to:

  • Organise team schedules
  • Handle staff queries
  • Take disciplinary action
  • Authorise holidays and leave
  • Evaluate employee performance
  • Create and carry out training and development programs for the staff
Female behind her laptop talking to male next to her at home
Female behind her laptop talking to male next to her at home

work environment

The typical work environment for an assistant manager comprises the regular office space and other areas of the business premises, such as warehouses. To make sure your team or teams are on track and ensure your projects are successfully completed, you may also need to travel from one location to another on a regular basis. On top of that, assistant managers usually work in both the private and public sectors.

work schedule

An assistant manager’s work schedule usually depends on the specific industry and organisation. Most assistant managers work the entire 40-hour week. Of course, shifts vary depending on several factors, one of which is the location. You can also expect to work on weekends, holidays and during the nights, particularly if there’s an urgent project underway with a strict deadline.

job outlook

There are many opportunities you have as an assistant manager to accelerate your career. After working under a manager and achieving considerable successes in your work, the next step should be to fill the shoes of your manager. You can also get a managerial job at a different company or industry altogether since the duties and responsibilities of a manager are largely the same across industries and sectors. You can become a general manager, a middle manager, and eventually, a top-level manager if you stick to your line of work.

4

education and qualifications

In some cases, organisations promote from within, which means that you can become an assistant manager after working as a customer relations officer, front desk manager or similar position without updating your credentials. However, if you want to become an assistant manager in a new organisation, there are certain education requirements you need to meet.

Two males and a female standing up while having a conversation
Two males and a female standing up while having a conversation
5

FAQs

FAQs about working as an assistant manager.

6

working with randstad as an assistant manager

If you’re looking to practice your leadership, management and interpersonal skills, then this position can be very rewarding for you. It’s true that this role requires a lot of resilience and patience. If you’re a talented communicator and leader and you can make good decisions and solve problems quickly, the role can be quite easy for you. Moreover, people with excellent time management skills along with being properly organised, responsible and goal-oriented often perform well as assistant managers.

assist in your company’s strategic direction

Managers and other business leaders rely on information provided by assistant managers to make critical decisions affecting the business. It’s not uncommon to find a trusted assistant manager together with the company’s business leaders in the boardroom. As an assistant manager, you’ll spend a lot of time planning, mapping, organising, calculating and doing so many other similar activities. You’ll also be the one responsible for ensuring service or product quality, overseeing retail inventory and ensuring there’s consistency in the standard of customer service. Since assistant managers are directly associated with the day-to-day running of the business, it makes sense to involve them in business improvement or expansion decisions. You can, therefore, expect to be consulted regularly before major decisions are implemented when you become an assistant manager.

thank you for subscribing to your personalised job alerts.