Contract Administrators

ANZSCO ID 511111

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
18,000
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
89%
Female Share
46%
Average age
40

Summary

Contract Administrators prepare, interpret, maintain, review and negotiate variations to contracts on behalf of organisations.

Also known as: Contract Officer.

A formal qualification in a relevant field (like business and management, building, construction management or law) and relevant industry experience is usually needed to work as a Contract Administrator. University and Vocational Education and Training (VET) are both common study pathways.

Tasks

  • Develops, reviews and negotiates variations to contracts, programs, projects and services.

  • Responds to inquiries and resolves problems concerning contracts, programmes, projects, services provided, and persons affected.

  • Manages paperwork associated with contracts, programmes, projects and services provided.

  • Works with project managers, architects, engineering professionals, owners and others to ensure that goals are met.

  • Advises senior management on matters requiring attention and implementing their decisions.

Characteristics

Job Type
Clerical And Administrative Workers
Skill Level
High skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Contract, Program and Project Administrators, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 89% of people employed as Contract Administrators work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 23 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 44 hours per week in their main job. This is the same as the all jobs average.

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Construction
29.2%
2
Public Administration and Safety
19.6%
3
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
6.2%
4
Mining
5.0%
5
Other industries
37.7%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

27.4% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

21.1% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

21.9% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

5.5% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

17.0% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.2% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.7% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

4.3% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Contract Administrators All Jobs Average
NSW 27.4 31.6
VIC 21.1 25.6
QLD 21.9 20.0
SA 5.5 7.0
WA 17.0 10.8
TAS 1.2 2.0
NT 1.7 1.0
ACT 4.3 1.9


  • Around 73% of Contract Administrators live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    Western Australia has a large share of employment relative to its population size.

    The regions with the largest share of workers are:

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
40
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
46%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Contract Administrators is 40 years. This is the same as the all jobs average.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 46% of the workforce. This is similar to the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Contract Administrators All Jobs Average
15-19 0.3 5.0
20-24 5.0 9.3
25-34 28.3 22.9
35-44 27.5 22.0
45-54 22.4 21.6
55-59 9.2 9.0
60-64 5.3 6.0
65 and Over 2.1 4.2
Median Age 40 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

A formal qualification in a relevant field (like business and management, building, construction management or law) and relevant industry experience is usually needed to work as a Contract Administrator. University and Vocational Education and Training (VET) are both common study pathways.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Business Services, Financial Services and Public Sector VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Contract Administrators All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 13.8 10.1
Bachelor degree 34.7 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 17.6 11.6
Certificate III/IV 13.5 21.1
Year 12 13.8 18.1
Year 11 2.2 4.8
Year 10 and below 4.3 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Contract, Program and Project Administrators who can communicate well with a variety of stakeholders and provide good customer service.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 59%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 59%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 59%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 59%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 59%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 57%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 57%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 57%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 55%

    Management of financial resources

    Figuring out how money is needed to do something, and keeping track of the money that's being spent.

  • 55%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 55%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 55%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 52%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 52%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 48%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 46%

    Systems evaluation

    Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

  • 45%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 45%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 45%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 43%

    Management of material resources

    Providing the right equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do work.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 68%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 68%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 63%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 63%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 61%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 60%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

  • 59%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 59%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 56%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 54%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 54%

    Transportation

    Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.

  • 50%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 48%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 47%

    Engineering and technology

    Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.

  • 45%

    Mechanical

    Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

  • 41%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 41%

    Technical design

    Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

  • 37%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 36%

    Building and construction

    Materials, and methods used to construct or repair houses, buildings, or other structures like highways and roads.

  • 31%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 61%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 59%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 59%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 59%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 57%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 57%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 54%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 52%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 52%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 50%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 48%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 48%

    Mathematics

    Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.

  • 46%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 45%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 43%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 41%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 39%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 36%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.

  • 34%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 30%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 78%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 74%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 73%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 73%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 69%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 66%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 65%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 65%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 64%

    Managing payments and orders

    Monitoring and controlling resources and the spending of money.

  • 64%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 62%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 61%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 60%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 59%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  • 59%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 58%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

  • 57%

    Leading and encouraging a team

    Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

  • 56%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

  • 56%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 55%

    Guiding and directing staff

    Guiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 95%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 90%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 52%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 38%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 29%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 14%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 71%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 67%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 67%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 67%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

  • 57%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 57%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 98%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 97%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 93%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 90%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 88%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 87%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 87%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 87%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 86%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 86%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 86%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 85%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 83%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 80%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 74%

    Repeating same tasks

    Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.

  • 72%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 71%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 71%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 70%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 63%

    Automation of tasks

    Do tasks that are mostly automated.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 13-1023.00 - Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products.


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