What Does a Business Manager Do?
If a department is spending money, hiring staff or buying equipment, its business manager is usually involved too. In fact, so many decisions need a budget check that department heads often treat the business manager as a second-in-command. Some handle a whole college, a research institute or a study abroad program.
Also known as: Assistant Director, Institute of Government, Study Abroad Business Manager, Business Affairs Manager, Administrative and Financial Director, Senior Business Manager
Business Manager Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a business manager include:
- Build the department's annual budget with its head, projecting salaries, operating costs and income.
- Approve purchases and travel, checking each against policy, funding source and remaining balance.
- Reconcile monthly ledgers and track spending on grants, gifts and state funds.
- Process hiring paperwork, appointments and payroll changes, working with central human resources.
- Prepare financial reports and forecasts for department heads, deans and auditors.
- Supervise office staff who handle purchasing, reimbursements, scheduling and front desk work.
- Manage contracts, leases and service agreements, keeping renewal dates on a calendar.
- Explain university policies on spending, hiring and travel to faculty and staff.
- Oversee space, equipment inventory and building issues for the department.
- Handle program fees and overseas payments for study abroad or institute programs where assigned.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a business manager, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Fund accounting and budget tracking
- University financial systems such as Banner, Workday or PeopleSoft
- Advanced Microsoft Excel
- Payroll and HR processes
- Purchasing and travel policy knowledge
- Supervising a small office team
- Discretion with salary and personnel records
- Plain explanations of rules to faculty
Education and Training
Entry is open to graduates of several disciplines, as departments hire from a range of accounting, business and finance programs. Some start out as accounting assistants or department administrators and move up. An MBA may also help.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $86,460 - $157,420 per year, with a median of $114,130.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Administrative Services Managers.
Business managers fall under administrative services managers in BLS data, a group projected to grow about 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, with roughly 22,000 openings a year. In other words, demand is steady. Hiring often is tied to the state of university budgets, but business managers always will be needed as departments juggle grants, gifts and state money.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Administrative services managers.