The Administration Division is responsible for policy development, human resource and fiscal administration, budgeting, payroll administration, public relations, information systems, delivery of information, and most importantly, responding to the needs of the citizens of Cambridge. The overall responsibilities and direction of the Department falls under the guidance of the Commissioner of Public Works.

In addition to the Commissioner, two Assistant Commissioners are in this division: an Assistant Commissioner for Administration, responsible for Administration, Business Services, Information Technology, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Community Relations, Public Information and the Operations Center; and an Assistant Commissioner for Operations, who has direct oversite of the operational functions of the Department: Streets & Sidewalks, Parks & Forestry, Buildings, Sewer Maintenance, Vehicle Maintenance, Solid Waste, Recycling, and Off-Hours.

The Human Resources unit, under the direction of a Human Resources Manager, provides on-site human resource support and services to management and the entire DPW workforce regarding recruitment, employment relations, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) requirements, compensation benefits, payroll administration, training, and employee programs for career development.

The Information Systems unit, under the direction of the Information Systems Manager, provides DPW managers with full computer and information services support. Included in the responsibilities of the Information Systems Manager are Internet web-page development, analyzing new business applications, matching business needs to computerized applications, fiscal information tracking and reporting, and the daily support of both PC hardware and software.