Project Coordinator

What does a Project Coordinator do?

The mechanism of a clock requires many turning parts, cogs, and wheels in order for the clock to successfully run; each part relying on the momentum of the others. The role of the Project Coordinator to a business is like the cogs and wheels to a clock. An invaluable asset to project planning and the business, ensuring it runs smoothly and efficiently.

Often, Project Coordinators will have a varied role working to a variety of deadlines. This consists of supporting others in the Project team with administrative tasks, scheduling of resources, planning, analytics and reporting. Having a supportive role means the Project Coordinator is often the bridge between other teams such as Finance, Development, Manufacturing, Management and Operations.

Additional duties include identifying which activities could impact a project, and simultaneously how the project could impact the business.

To have connection, communication skills and insights are beneficial to both the success of the project and the stakeholders involved. They can feel reassured that the Project Coordinator will have an eye on each detail and each moving part of the project. This support is irreplaceable, being the connector between the other cogs and wheels, all needing support from each other to keep moving forward.

Key Responsibilities of a Project Coordinator

Within the Project Coordinator role, there can be a variety of responsibilities. This can differ depending on the type and size of the organisation and the structure of the project team members. Some of the key responsibilities are:

Administrative Tasks: These could involve approving invoices relating to project work or completing forms, project schedules and documentation for the project.
Scheduling: When scheduling team resources, the Project Coordinator will be responsible for identifying team availability for completing tasks critical to project success. This should be done efficiently to balance with the other schedules and commitments the team may have.
Planning: Resources must be planned to ensure their availability for the project. Should the Project Coordinator identify challenges in this planning, they can also escalate these risks to the Project Manager. The resources will vary depending on the project; these can be people, materials, equipment, software etc.

Reporting: The Project Coordinator will often be working with systems and data to record and track project progress and activities. These should be regularly reported on to ensure stakeholders and senior management have visibility of project progress.
Analysis: In addition to reporting, Project Coordinators may also need to analyse data, identify trends or anomalies that could indicate a risk. Then, to escalate appropriately and provide support in preventing issues occurring in the project. On the other hand, the analysis may also highlight successes of the project that can be shared with stakeholders.
Stakeholder Management: The managing of stakeholders requires clear and regular communication, from the birth of the project and beyond, ensuring stakeholders’ understanding of the activities and status of the project.

What skills does a Project Coordinator need?

To perform as a Project Coordinator and succeed in the role when conducting a variety of tasks, a range of technical and soft skills are pivotal. Some key skills are:

Communication: Being able to communicate with project stakeholders, in a clear and concise way. Understanding what information they need and when can have an incredibly positive impact on a project; ensuring everyone is considered and kept up to date with project activity, assessing impacts and tracking progress.
Prioritisation: Project Coordinators will often need to respond to requests from project teams in a punctual way. By prioritising and managing workloads they ensure high priority and urgent tasks are completed to required deadlines.
System & Data Management: Coordinating resources and reporting often requires updating and managing data within a variety of scheduling and reporting tools. These can include Microsoft Excel, Trello, Jira, Todoist, Motion and many more. There is also a rise in AI tools designed specifically for managing projects and data anlysis. With this it's likely that Project Coordinators will have exposure to using various AI tools to improve the efficiency of their role.

Change Management: Projects will often impact change - though the intention will be a positive change - it can still be confronting for those impacted. Having some awareness of how to support the management of change in an organisation can have a beneficial impact on the success of the project.
Analytical and Detail-oriented: When it comes to analysis and reporting, the Project Coordinator should be meticulous and precise to ensure data is accurate.

How much does a Project Coordinator get paid?

The Project Coordinator role averages a pay of £28,959 (USD$37,959) according to Indeed. Further demonstrating the importance of the role in business, and the Project Coordinator as a reputable career path, the APM Salary and Market Trends Survey 2023 also noted an 18% increase in salaries.

How to become a Project Coordinator

The path to become a Project Coordinator can vary, much like the role itself. It is a role that can be found in many industries, requiring different levels and types of experience. Here are some ideas to help you reach the next step in your career as a Project Coordinator:

Education and Training

When considering education and training, we appreciate that you must also consider costs and time commitments required. Learning can come in many forms, if you are able to plan your career path early then apprenticeships, College and University courses may be best for you.

Otherwise, there are plenty of certification options available. Often these involve a few days of learning and an exam which will certify you in specific skills that can then be applied to your professional life and will be recognised by employers as a validation of your knowledge. Some useful certifications for an aspiring or current Project Coordinator are Agile Project Management (AgilePM®), Essentials for PMO Analysts, Praxis Framework™ - Project and Programme Management Certification.

Experience

Forever the plight of a job hunter: gaining experience in a role to be able to get the role! There are a few routes to gaining experience; one being to plan your career path to work towards the Project Coordinator role. This could be via administrative roles, jobs such as a PMO or Project Administrator. Another would be to work in roles with transferable skills, such as other analyst or coordinator roles. This experience can then be applied to the responsibilities needed from the Project Coordinator.