The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Project Administrator / Project Coordinator
2-4 yearsSkills to master
- Organisation, scheduling, basic project reporting, stakeholder communication, attention to detail, managing multiple workstreams.
You're ready to move on when
- You're the 'go-to' person for all project logistics.
- You're already drafting project updates and managing comms schedules.
- You can anticipate project needs and proactively address them.
- You've successfully supported multiple projects simultaneously.
- 2
Executive Assistant / Senior Administrator
3-5 yearsSkills to master
- Advanced calendar management, stakeholder liaison (often senior level), confidential information handling, proactive problem-solving, strong communication, event coordination.
You're ready to move on when
- You've managed complex calendars and travel for senior leaders.
- You're skilled at anticipating needs and pre-empting issues.
- You've coordinated events or projects from start to finish.
- You're comfortable communicating with people at all levels of the organisation.
- 3
HR Coordinator / Training Administrator
2-4 yearsSkills to master
- Employee communication, training logistics, data management (HR systems), understanding of employee needs, event organisation, policy adherence.
You're ready to move on when
- You've managed training schedules and attendance for large groups.
- You're skilled at communicating important information to employees.
- You understand the employee lifecycle and how changes impact people.
- You've handled sensitive employee data with discretion.