A team assistant helps carry the workload by performing administrative duties to free the members of the office team for other duties. They step right in to help with current projects so that more experienced members can focus on ways to improve the project, troubleshoot problems or address client demands. The additional administrative help is vital to meeting deadlines and completing projects on time. Assistants work under the direct supervision of team leaders.

Administrative Duties

Team assistants help with administrative duties that require little oversight. They schedule appointments with clients and make sure clients receive documents and receivables on time. They organize internal team meetings and prepare itineraries to ensure all employees are on the same page. Other responsibilities include: sorting emails by importance, alerting team members to upcoming deadlines, making copies, running errands, preparing documents and organizing electronic files. Promptness, effective communication skills and attention to detail are top job requirements.

Data and Deliverables

Work teams often need additional administrative support to help with record keeping, data management and project deliverables. Team assistants take notes during meetings and compile those notes into project memos. They collect and input data in electronic files so that team members have records to back their analyses and project results. Assistants prepare project deliverables by adding page numbers, attractive covers, lists of terms and a table of contents for written reports. Computer skills, data-entry skills and proofreading strengths help applicants stand out as qualified job candidates.

Meals and Travel Arrangements

Project assistants coordinate office lunches and dinners with team members. They order and pick up meals for employees who are working long hours to meet deadlines. They make travel arrangements, including flights, lodging and rental cars. By researching conference itineraries and informing team members of seminar details, they free up more time for experienced members to focus on extensive and time-consuming projects.

Financial Responsibilities

Making sure the team stays within its budget is a vital job responsibility. Team assistants keep track of project expenses and purchase receipts, and they log those numbers in accounting software programs and spreadsheets. They don't make executive purchasing decisions, but they notify team leaders when budgets look as though they might go in the red. Assistants order supplies and products when inventories get low. Budgeting and a basic understanding of accounting help project assistants maintain proposed financial goals.