Teams often need leadership in order to coordinate activities. Assistant team leaders are often the second in command in a particular team. Teams in the professional world are often composed of employees, sometimes highly trained professionals, who work together in order to accomplish a common goal. Team leaders have responsibilities and powers that vary from team to team.

Function

Some assistant team leaders are able to make final decisions regarding what a particular team does. Some have the ability to hire, evaluate and fire employees. Regardless, the assistant team leader must answer to the head team leader, and only has full control over the team when the head team leader is not there. Other duties are dependent on the business that the assistant team leader works for.

Some assistant team leaders are responsible for managing the expenses and budget of the team, while other assistant team leaders are responsible for representing the team to the public, especially to media representatives. Many assistant team leaders are responsible for making sure that the rest of the team is following all rules and regulations placed by regulatory agencies. A lot of times, the assistant team leader is responsible for writing reports detailing the actions carried out by the team, and has to report these actions at meetings.

Conditions

The work environment of an assistant team leader varies. Leaders have a tendency to work longer hours than other team members, though the hours vary from position to position. For example, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, human resources managers tend to work 40 hours a week.

Qualifications

Some organizations require that the assistant team leader only have a bachelor’s degree. Other positions require a master’s degree. The type of degree needed depends on the type of organization that the assistant team leader is a part of. Assistant team leaders need good leadership skills, including the ability to plan and solve problems. These leaders must also have good conflict resolution skills, since some of the team members might come into conflict with each other. Communication skills are important, since the assistant team leader must communicate ideas clearly to other team members and must also sometimes communicate information to outsiders.

Growth

Between 2008 and 2018, the need for human resources managers such as assistant team leaders is expected to grow by 22 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This growth is driven by an increasing amount of emphasis placed on a more highly trained workforce across various companies.

Earnings

According to Payscale.com, team leaders can earn an hourly wage between $8.50 and $22.17. Entry-level team leaders can earn as much as $13.92.