Secretary general to public administration manager
A secretary general already meets 40% of what the public administration manager role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.7/ 100
1 How much of what a public administration manager is expected to do is already part of a secretary general’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the public administration manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A public administration manager role treats 8 of its required skills as things a secretary general already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- budgetary principles
- government policy implementation
- legislation procedure
- liaise with local authorities
- maintain relationships with government agencies
- manage budgets
What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A public administration manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a secretary general background worth leading with.
- already held legislation procedure business, administration and law
- already held good governance social sciences, journalism and information
- already held public finance business, administration and law
- already held project management principles business, administration and law
- already held manage government policy implementation management skills
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies communication, collaboration and creativity
All 12 carried skills, including the 8 the public administration manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn manage teamwork required
- still to learn develop strategy to solve problems required
- still to learn plan medium to long term objectives required
- still to learn supervise staff required
- optional, not held apply strategic thinking optional
- optional, not held coordinate events optional
- optional, not held fix meetings optional
- optional, not held manage accounts optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- still to learn ensure cross-department cooperation required
- still to learn liaise with politicians required
- optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
- optional, not held develop professional network optional
- optional, not held write meeting reports optional
- optional, not held write situation reports optional
- still to learn estimate duration of work required
- optional, not held ensure information transparency optional
- optional, not held keep task records optional
- optional, not held perform resource planning optional
- still to learn public administration required
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held public law optional
- optional, not held offer assistance to national citizens optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a public administration manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 manage teamwork practise this
- 02 public administration study this
- 03 create solutions to problems practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 12 skills that carry over
- already held budgetary principles knowledge
- already held government policy implementation knowledge
- already held legislation procedure knowledge
- already held liaise with local authorities skill
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage government policy implementation skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held good governance knowledge
- already held perform project management skill
- already held project management principles knowledge
- already held public finance knowledge
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held offer assistance to national citizens optional
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held apply strategic thinking optional
- optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
- optional, not held coordinate events optional
- optional, not held develop professional network optional
- optional, not held ensure information transparency optional
- optional, not held fix meetings optional
- optional, not held keep task records optional
- optional, not held manage accounts optional
- optional, not held perform resource planning optional
- optional, not held public law optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- optional, not held write meeting reports optional
- optional, not held write situation reports optional
16 held skills the public administration manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on legislative acts skill
- not needed by the target role apply conflict management skill
- not needed by the target role apply diplomatic principles skill
- not needed by the target role audit techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role bookkeeping regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role build community relations skill
- not needed by the target role build international relations skill
- not needed by the target role conduct financial audits skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate government activities in foreign institutions skill
- not needed by the target role develop international cooperation strategies skill
- not needed by the target role establish collaborative relations skill
- not needed by the target role implement strategic management skill
- not needed by the target role manage administrative systems skill
- not needed by the target role prepare presentation material skill
- not needed by the target role represent national interests skill
- not needed by the target role represent the organisation skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn public administration required
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held public law optional
Other moves recorded from secretary general
Common questions about this move
Can a secretary general become a public administration manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A secretary general already covers 40% of what a public administration manager is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 8 of which the public administration manager role treats as required.
What skills does a secretary general need to become a public administration manager?
9 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is manage teamwork.
How hard is the move from secretary general to public administration manager?
Its learning distance is 59.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.