Education Administrators, Postsecondary

SOC 11-9033.00Job Zone 5 · Extensive Preparationv.26.05

Context coveredThis framework covers the full range of postsecondary education administration practice — from departmental operations, student advisement, and personnel management to executive strategic leadership, financial stewardship, and institutional governance in colleges and universities.

Sources:O*NET v30.2 SkillsCrosswalk

Emerging

Entry / Apprentice

Student learning outcome data — collect and organize under supervisor guidance using institutional assessment tools in a postsecondary department.
Departmental budget records — review and maintain supporting financial documentation under the direction of a senior administrator in a university setting.
Academic policies and procedures — read, interpret, and apply existing institutional guidelines when responding to routine staff and faculty inquiries.
Student advisement sessions — conduct structured one-on-one meetings to provide basic guidance on course selection and graduation progress within an established advising framework.
Personnel activity logs — monitor and compile attendance and performance data for support staff under the oversight of a department chair.
Institutional reports and strategic documents — read and summarize key findings to inform preliminary understanding of organizational priorities.
Faculty and staff scheduling requests — coordinate and process event scheduling and transcript issuance tasks using campus enterprise resource planning software.
Orientation program materials — assist in preparing and delivering new-student and new-staff orientation content under senior administrative direction.
Word processing and cloud-based collaboration tools — draft routine administrative correspondence and meeting minutes in a higher education office environment.
Candidate applicant pools — screen applications and assist with scheduling interviews as a supporting participant in departmental hiring processes.

Developing

Mid-level / Established

Student learning assessments — design and administer formative evaluation instruments aligned to program outcomes, reporting results to academic leadership in a postsecondary department.
Departmental personnel — recruit, interview, and onboard support staff with reduced oversight, following institutional human resources policies in a college or university setting.
Financial records and budget reports — administer routine budget cycles, track expenditures against allocations, and prepare periodic financial summaries using accounting and ERP software.
Staff performance activities — monitor and evaluate the day-to-day work of administrative support personnel, providing feedback in alignment with departmental goals.
Student advisement caseload — manage a recurring caseload of students, offering guidance on academic progress, career planning, and institutional resources across a semester cycle.
Operational procedures — identify gaps in existing department protocols and propose evidence-based modifications using operational and demographic data.
Faculty support initiatives — coordinate instructional resource requests and assist faculty with course logistics, including technology tools and classroom scheduling, in an academic unit.
Customer relationship management software — use CRM platforms to track student engagement, alumni relations, and departmental outreach activities in a higher education context.
Strategic planning documents — contribute analytical sections to institutional planning reports, drawing on research literature and internal performance metrics.
Staff training programs — develop and facilitate onboarding and professional development sessions for departmental employees using computer-based training tools.

Proficient

Senior / Expert IC

Program-level learning outcome frameworks — design, implement, and continuously refine comprehensive assessment systems to monitor and improve student success across an academic department.
Full personnel lifecycle — autonomously recruit, hire, develop, evaluate, and when necessary terminate faculty and staff in compliance with institutional policy and employment law.
Departmental operations — direct and evaluate the full scope of administrative, academic, and support-staff activities within a postsecondary department or school.
Complex student and advisement cases — resolve non-routine issues involving academic standing, grievances, and career transitions, applying advanced judgment in a university context.
Multi-year departmental budgets — plan, administer, and control budget cycles, produce comprehensive financial reports, and align resource allocation with strategic priorities.
Institutional strategic plans — formulate and lead the execution of multi-year strategic initiatives, integrating enrollment data, research outcomes, and accreditation requirements.
Policy architecture — establish, revise, and communicate operational policies based on rigorous analysis of institutional demographics, compliance obligations, and performance research.
Accreditation and compliance processes — lead self-study preparation, coordinate site visits, and ensure continuous quality improvement across program areas.
Cross-functional technology ecosystems — configure and optimize integrated use of ERP, CRM, facilities management, and project management platforms to support institutional operations.
Faculty instructional support — design professional development frameworks and teaching resources that enhance instructional quality across an academic division.

Advanced

Lead / Principal / Executive

Institutional assessment culture — establish a division-wide philosophy and infrastructure for data-driven student learning assessment, influencing practice across all academic units of a postsecondary institution.
Talent strategy and workforce planning — set the long-range human capital agenda for a college or university division, developing succession pipelines and inclusive hiring practices at organizational scale.
Institutional leadership teams — direct, evaluate, and mentor senior administrators, department chairs, and deans, fostering a high-performance culture aligned with the institution's mission.
Executive financial stewardship — provide oversight of multi-million-dollar institutional budgets, present financial strategy to boards and governing bodies, and drive fiscal sustainability.
University-wide strategic vision — formulate and champion transformative strategic plans that reposition the institution in response to demographic shifts, technological change, and competitive landscape.
Governance and policy systems — establish institution-level policies and shared governance frameworks that comply with accrediting bodies, state regulators, and federal requirements.
External stakeholder and community partnerships — lead engagement with government agencies, industry partners, alumni networks, and philanthropic communities to advance institutional mission and resource development.
Organizational change leadership — architect and guide large-scale change initiatives — such as academic reorganizations or new campus technologies — building broad coalition support across faculty and staff.
Emerging educational models — identify, champion, and scale innovative instructional and operational approaches — including online and hybrid delivery — to expand access and improve outcomes institution-wide.
Sector thought leadership — represent the institution at national conferences, publish in higher education policy forums, and shape field-wide discourse on postsecondary administration and student success.

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Source anchors that ground each statement

Related titles

Academic Affairs Dean · Academic Affairs Director · Academic Affairs Vice President (Academic Affairs VP) · Academic Coordinator · Academic Dean · Academic Vice President (Academic VP) · Administration Dean · Admissions Coordinator · Admissions Dean · Admissions Director · Adult Basic Education Manager · Arts and Sciences Dean

RAPIDS apprenticeships

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O*NET skills

Critical ThinkingReading ComprehensionInstructingActive ListeningWritingSpeakingMonitoringTime ManagementComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingActive LearningManagement of Personnel ResourcesLearning StrategiesSocial PerceptivenessCoordinationPersuasionNegotiationService OrientationSystems AnalysisSystems EvaluationManagement of Financial Resources

Knowledge domains

English LanguageAdministration and ManagementEducation and TrainingCustomer and Personal ServicePersonnel and Human ResourcesAdministrativeComputers and ElectronicsCommunications and MediaMathematicsPsychology

Abilities

Problem SensitivityWritten ExpressionOral ExpressionWritten ComprehensionSpeech ClaritySpeech RecognitionOral ComprehensionInductive ReasoningOriginalityDeductive Reasoning

Work styles

Leadership OrientationDependabilityIntegritySocial OrientationCooperationAchievement Orientation

Technology

Web page creation and editing softwareCustomer relationship management CRM softwareData base user interface and query softwareFacilities management softwareComputer based training softwareEnterprise resource planning ERP softwareProject management softwareAccounting softwareWord processing softwareCloud-based data access and sharing software

Tasks · seed anchors for statements

Design or use assessments to monitor student learning outcomes.
Recruit, hire, train, and terminate departmental personnel.
Direct, coordinate, and evaluate the activities of personnel, including support staff engaged in administering academic institutions, departments, or alumni organizations.
Advise students on issues such as course selection, progress toward graduation, and career decisions.
Plan, administer, and control budgets, maintain financial records, and produce financial reports.
Formulate strategic plans for the institution.
Establish operational policies and procedures and make any necessary modifications, based on analysis of operations, demographics, and other research information.
Provide assistance to faculty and staff in duties such as teaching classes, conducting orientation programs, issuing transcripts, and scheduling events.

CIP education codes

13.040113.040413.040613.040713.041251.071951.320251.320352.021461.020761.0211