what is a coordinator?
As a coordinator, you combine various resources and elements to complete a project or plan an event. The projects or tasks you coordinate should appear in the job title. For instance, if you work in construction organising work schedules and teams, you are a project coordinator. In the forestry industry, you plan forestry processes and workflows. Coordinating aims primarily to achieve specific objectives and ensure operations run smoothly. That means you create a detailed plan for executing a project and write a report detailing the successes and failures.
what does a coordinator do?
As a coordinator, you organise teams and work closely with project team members, managers and leads to help deliver major organisational tasks efficiently. You also communicate with external stakeholders to ensure the project standards meet expectations. If there is a project manager, the coordinator handles administrative tasks like answering phone calls, taking notes in meetings and providing customer service. You also oversee budgeting and supervise vendors of a project.
Since coordinators work in various industries, their skillsets are diverse. However, successful coordinators are efficient, organised and have good interpersonal skills. It is crucial to be an excellent planner to synchronise and execute complex tasks with different groups.
view coordinator jobsaverage salary of a coordinator
The median salary of a coordinator is $64,000 per year. When you are new in the role, your earnings start from $56,000 annually and increase gradually to $90,000 per year with experience. The remuneration package usually depends on your specialism. For instance, a support coordinator earns a lower average salary of $50,000 per year, while an office coordinator receives a higher salary of $64,000 per year. Apart from the remuneration package, some employers also provide allowances and non-monetary benefits to employees.
what factors affect the salary of a coordinator?
A coordinator's remuneration package depends on their specialism and credentials. If you are a programme or project coordinator, your responsibilities can be complex and attract a remunerative salary compared to other specialisms. Your credentials determine your remuneration since they showcase your transferable skills.
Your location also affects your earnings since metro areas and large cities have a high demand for coordinators. The remuneration package in metro areas should also reflect the high cost of living, which raises your salary.
types of coordinators
Some of the coordinator jobs you can pursue include:
- programme coordinator: as a programme coordinator, you work for non-profit organisations, educational institutions or community outreach organisations. Your job is to plan and implement various programmes that benefit the target group. You will be in charge of administrative duties like preparing reports, managing support staff, scheduling events and managing budgets for the programme.
- educational coordinator: an educational coordinator helps to develop, implement, and evaluate educational programs. You may work in a variety of settings, such as schools, museums, and community organizations.
- human resources coordinator: an hr coordinator helps to manage the day-to-day operations of a company's human resources department. As a human resources coordinator you are responsible for a variety of tasks, such as maintaining employee records, coordinating employee training, and handling employee benefits.
- administrative coordinator: an administrative coordinator provides support to an organization or individual by performing administrative tasks. Common duties of an administrative coordinator include scheduling appointments, managing correspondence, handling customer inquiries, and preparing reports.
- recruiting coordinator: a recruiting coordinator helps to identify, screen, and hire qualified candidates for open positions within an organization. As a recruiting coordinator you may also be responsible for conducting initial interviews, scheduling follow-up interviews, and extending job offers to successful candidates.
- Disability support coordinator: as a support coordinator you help people with disabilities to access funding and services. You also provide support and advice to families and carers.
- project coordinator: as a project coordinator, you handle administrative tasks for the project manager and team members. You ensure the project runs smoothly by ordering equipment or supplies and managing workflows and deadlines. You also keep track of the budget and schedule meetings for project managers.
- event coordinator: as an event coordinator, you ensure event plans work properly. You complete specific tasks to ensure a successful event, like meeting vendors and running errands for the event planning team.
working as a coordinator
A coordinator oversees projects to complete and perform other specialised tasks successfully. Here are the specific responsibilities and work schedules of coordinators:
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job description
While the duties of a coordinator vary depending on the project or industry, some standard tasks include:
- creating and managing budgets: as a coordinator, you develop budgets for projects, events or programmes. That means you plan the allocated funds to cover the required resources. During execution, you monitor resources and ensure the costs don't exceed the budget.
- finding vendors and negotiating contracts: whether you are supervising an event or a construction project, you need vendors to supply raw materials or offer services. Catering, entertainment and security vendors are essential for events, while suppliers are necessary for projects. After identifying vendors, you negotiate the contracts and ensure quotes fall within budget
- preparing employees' schedules: as a coordinator, you schedule employees for proper workflow management. While the team leader or project manager is in charge of assigning tasks, you prepare the work schedules to ensure the project is completed within the timeline.
- promoting and marketing events or programmes: as a coordinator, you collaborate with the marketing team to create and implement promotional strategies. You are also responsible for improving the attendee experience. That means you should be on-site to manage attendees' concerns and deal with complaints.
- supervising the execution and completion of projects: coordinators bring all resources together and monitor a project's execution to completion. Your job is to ensure the project is completed on time and meets the quality standard. You also keep track of the project by writing reports from the planning stage to execution.
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work environment
Your work environment as a coordinator ranges from convention centres and event venues to industrial sites and offices, depending on your responsibilities. When you work in the office, you spend most of the day at your desk working on your computer or completing paperwork.
Sometimes, you meet clients at the office or in off-site locations. As a coordinator in construction environments, you work on-site to manage the construction crew and perform other administrative tasks. Event coordinators spend long hours standing or walking around an event venue or conference room. If you work in the mining industry, your work environment involves mining sites since you visit to supervise mining activities.
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who are your colleagues?
Depending on your employer and the industry you work in, your colleagues might include project managers, mining managers, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers and construction managers. You might also be working in close proximity to procurement managers and logistics specialists, as well as other specialists that could include, but not be limited to, administrators, programme managers, office manager, and architects.
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work schedule
As a coordinator, you work over 40 hours a week full-time. Since you work alongside the project manager, your work schedule will match theirs. When the team is working overtime, you should provide administrative support. You also work evenings and weekends to complete projects on time. Part-time opportunities and short-term contracts are available for coordinators. Freelance opportunities are also available, especially in event planning and non-profit organisations. Being a coordinator involves travelling to meet with vendors and clients. Visiting event venues is essential to ensure everything is in place.
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job outlook
Being a coordinator gives you exciting opportunities to advance your career and specialise in different fields. Your career progression as a coordinator depends on your interests. For instance, you can become a project manager or construction manager if you enjoy working on construction projects. Alternatively, if you prefer working on events, build a career as an events planner. Some coordinators specialise in contracts and become contract managers, while others move to marketing careers or cost analysis roles.
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advantages of finding a coordinator job through randstad
Finding your coordinator job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:
- a wide variety of training and development opportunities
- an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
- a range of opportunities in your area
- get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
- temporary and permanent contracts
Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a coordinator is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too.
education and skills
A bachelor's degree and vocational qualifications are important if you want to become a coordinator. Some of the academic credentials to consider include:
- bachelor's degree: when looking for qualifications as a coordinator, consider the specialism you want to work on and find a relevant course. You may want to consider a bachelor of arts, a bachelor of science or a bachelor of education.
- work experience: some employers prefer candidates with a few years of experience. A coordinator can gain work experience through internships and graduate programmes to develop managerial skills.
skills and competencies
Some of the skills of a coordinator include:
- communication: as a coordinator, you should have good communication skills to ensure clear written and verbal interactions. Communication skills help you articulate plans, schedules, workflows and directions and provide clear instructions. It is crucial to concisely communicate event plans and logistical requirements to other employees to avoid problems during planning. You also regularly communicate with clients and vendors, and your communication skills help you convey instructions and explain the project execution plan.
- leadership skills: becoming a coordinator is often a managerial position in which you supervise other team members. Leadership skills help you guide and motivate employees towards a goal and ensure events run according to plan.
- problem-solving skills: as a coordinator, you identify deficiencies and resolve issues during a project's execution. With problem-solving skills, you can think on your feet and provide remedies to problems and project delays.
- time management skills: as a coordinator, you ensure projects are completed within the stipulated timelines. That means you manage time effectively and ensure the work schedules are adhered to by team members. Time management skills also help you juggle multiple tasks at the same time.
FAQs about working as a coordinator
Here are the most asked questions about working as a coordinator:
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what does coordinator mean in a job title?
The coordinator job title describes someone responsible for bringing together various resources. A coordinator handles administration, business operations and logistics in multiple industries towards a specific goal. Apart from managing resources, they manage people and products.
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is a coordinator a high position?
A coordinator role can be an entry-level or supervisory position, depending on the organisation's structure or size. Large companies have coordinators in entry-level positions, while small start-ups have coordinators in supervisory roles.
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is the coordinator higher than the manager?
A manager occupies a higher position since they oversee the planning of a project to completion, while a coordinator is more focused on execution. Hence, coordinators work under managers in various departments.
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what does a coordinator do at work?
A coordinator organises and pulls together resources to ensure an event or project is accomplished as expected. They supervise workers and ensure the company has the necessary resources to organise an event or complete a project.
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what qualities do you need as a coordinator?
A coordinator requires good communication, organisational and planning skills to pull together various resources. Having problem-solving skills also helps coordinators resolve issues that arise during a project.
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how do I apply for a coordinator vacancy?
Applying for a coordinator job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our coordinator job offers. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here.
