Surplus Property Manager Job Description

Salary Range

$86,460 - $157,420

Experience

Several years in warehouse or asset work

Work Environment

Warehouse, office and loading dock

What Does a Surplus Property Manager Do?

Departments that replace desks, computers and lab equipment have to send the old ones somewhere, and the landfill should be the last choice. At universities and public agencies, the surplus property manager takes them in, with a team that grades each item, passes usable pieces to other departments, sells the rest at auction or in a surplus store and recycles what is left.

Also known as: Surplus Property and Recycling Manager

Other Job Titles for This Work

Workers in this occupation report titles such as Administrative Coordinator, Administrative Director, Administrative Manager, Administrative Officer, Administrator, Business Administrator, Business Manager.

Surplus Property Manager Duties and Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of a surplus property manager include:

• Schedule pickups of unwanted furniture, computers and equipment from campus departments.
• Inspect and grade incoming items, deciding whether to reuse, sell, recycle or scrap them.
• Remove items from the asset inventory, keeping disposal records that satisfy auditors.
• Sell surplus through public auctions, online auction sites and a retail store.
• Transfer usable items to other departments before offering them to the public.
• Arrange certified data wiping or drive destruction before computers leave campus.
• Coordinate recycling of electronics, metal, batteries and other regulated waste with licensed vendors.
• Supervise warehouse staff and drivers, and plan truck routes and safe loading.
• Follow state rules on selling public property, including approvals and sale proceeds.
• Report sales income, recycling totals and landfill savings to administrators.

Required Skills and Qualifications

To succeed as a surplus property manager, you will need the following skills and qualifications:

• Asset and inventory tracking systems
• Online auction platforms such as GovDeals
• State surplus property and records rules
• Electronics recycling and data security practices
• Warehouse and forklift safety
• Pricing used equipment
• Supervising drivers and warehouse staff
• Customer service for public buyers

Education and Training

Driving a surplus truck or running a recycling program has been the first job for some surplus managers, while many more came up through purchasing, warehouse or asset management work. BLS files the job with administrative services managers, for whom a bachelor's degree is the norm. A recycling certificate is worth adding for anyone who handles electronics, batteries and other regulated waste.

Salary and Job Outlook

BLS groups surplus property managers with administrative services managers, whose employment is projected to grow about 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, with roughly 22,000 openings a year. Surplus jobs are a small, specialized slice of that. Demand often is tied to campus sustainability goals, but managers always will be needed as departments replace computers and furniture and as campuses try to send less to landfill.

Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Administrative services managers.

Surplus Property Manager Pay Range

Highest-Paying States for Surplus Property Managers

The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Colorado ($157,000), New Jersey ($144,460), New York ($142,280), Delaware ($139,910), Minnesota ($137,290). Pay is lowest in Idaho ($92,880), West Virginia ($84,820), Arkansas ($84,480).

What the Work Is Like

O*NET surveys people who work as administrative services managers about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:

• 96% use email every day
• 96% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
• 82% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
• 80% are on the phone every day
• 74% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
• 64% spend more than half the workday sitting
• 54% have a lot of freedom to make decisions

Education Workers Say the Job Needs

Tools and Software Surplus Property Managers Use

Tools and equipment

• 10-key calculators
• Desktop computers
• Laptop computers
• Laser facsimile machines
• Mobile phones
• Multi-line telephone systems
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Personal digital assistants PDA
• Photocopying equipment

Software

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Word
• Adobe Acrobat
• Atlassian JIRA
• Autodesk AutoCAD
• Google Docs
• IBM SPSS Statistics
• Intuit QuickBooks
• Microsoft Access

Is This Job a Good Fit for You?

People who do well in this job tend to enjoy leading, persuading and making business decisions as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.

Skills O*NET rates most important: Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Time Management, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking.

Knowledge areas used most: Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, English Language, Administrative, Personnel and Human Resources.

Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 3 of 5, which means medium preparation.

Related Careers

These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:

• Center Coordinator job description
• Office Manager job description
• Mail Services Manager job description
• Records Manager job description
• Administrative Services Manager job description
• Auxiliary Services Director job description
• Business Manager job description
• Payroll Supervisor job description

Applying for a Surplus Property Manager Job

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