First Assistant Manager Responsibilities

The first assistant manager is a professional who serves like a right hand to the deputy or a general manager. The first assistant manager responsibilities closely mirror to that of a manager, and he is the main person working behind the scenes to ensure the smooth operation and management of the daily work activities of the manager as well as the organization. A manager needs to handle much pressure and responsibilities, so to lessen his burden he delegates some of his work to the first assistant manager and ensures that he carries out his responsibilities professionally.

Key Responsibilities of First Assistant Managers

First assistant managers are usually employed in almost every type of industry, and the kind of responsibilities he needs to handle may vary depending on the size of the organization. Larger the organization, more will be the complexity of the responsibilities that need to be handled by him. This position normally is an intermediary position and stands above the post of a team leader or a supervisor. His job is mostly of a supportive type, and he needs to assist the manager with his daily routine activities. To get a better idea, take a look at the key responsibilities of a first assistant manager in different fields:

First Assistant Manager in Human Resource: He plays a key role in making some important decisions like acquiring knowledge about the staffing requirements, arranging interviews, recruiting new employees, etc. He handles the grievances of the employees and resolves them, retains the existing employees, provides knowledge on the rules, policies and procedures of the organization, etc. He generates reports based on attendance, performance, etc., initiates the procedures for improving the processes and systems, and needs to update himself with relevant knowledge regarding the HR practices, policies, etc.
First Assistant Store Manager: He typically reports to a store manager and ensures smooth operation and management of the organization and makes sure that it makes profits. He is involved in understanding and supporting the operations of the store, providing customer service, training the assistants, and is involved in the daily invoicing, book keeping, banking activities, and keeping a track and analyzing the sales records, etc. He processes the payroll, monitors the attendance of the subordinates, and performs the duties of the manger in his absence.
First Assistant Restaurant Manager: An assistant manager working in a restaurant needs to handle a wide range of duties like estimating the quantity of food and beverages, and orders for the necessary supplies. He maintains high levels of food quality and customer service. He also resolves customer complaints, ensures cleanliness, health, and safety measures are being adhered to, prioritizes the work, and delegates the work to the subordinates and schedules it.
Thus, in general he needs to lead and supervise the staff members, delegate and assign work to them, resolve issues, handle correspondence, and report generation, etc., that will assist in lessening the work load of his senior manager.

Essential Skills

The skills and abilities required to be a successful first assistant manager are as follows:

Excellent leadership and supervisory skills
Ability to communicate effectively with internal employees as well as with clients, i.e. he should be able to demonstrate excellent people management skills
Proficiency in computers, especially with MS Office
Ability to understand and resolve professional and personal problems of the subordinates and motivate them to deliver quality work
Should be competent at delegating work and have multi tasking ability
Should be able to deliver high quality work even in pressure situations
Exceptional time management and organization skills

Educational Background

The best way to make an entry as a first assistant manager, you must possess a bachelor's degree in business administration, management, accounting, finance, etc. A master's degree would definitely have an upper hand. Experience in leading a team, supervising the subordinates, or handling a similar position would prove to be an advantage.

Work Hours

The assistant managers need to shoulder huge responsibilities, and hence, depending on the work load, they should be ready to work in flexible schedules, which may sometimes go beyond their normal working hours. They may at times also need to work over time.

Salary Details

The salary of the first assistant manager relies on the work nature as well as the field or industry the person is working in. The minimum starting salary for inexperienced assistant managers is $25,000, which can go upto $80,000 depending on the experience, skills, and educational background.

Career Prospects

The career prospects are really bright for all the assistant managers functioning in any type of industry. In fact, this is one of the stepping stones to ensure success as a professional manager in private or public organization.

Thus, if you are aiming to become future managers, then you must be able to perform the first assistant manager responsibilities effectively and efficiently.