What does a project coordinator do?

A Project coordinator job is an important job in any kind of project. This job involves handling of administrative tasks for a project in charge and coordinating with project team members to keep a job running smoothly. A project coordinator’s job also includes ordering and follow up of equipment, storing, stacking and timely utilization of the equipment and to see that the project is progressing as per plan and does not exceed deadlines.  

Project coordinator jobs can be a diverse as developing a new industry, developing an IT project, building a new school or institute and even making a highway or a bridge. The jobs are highly diverse and vary from project to project. Project coordinator jobs sometimes even involve handling more than one project at a time.

What is a project coordinator?

A project coordinator is an executive who is next in line to the project head and is in an important position to monitor day to day activities in a project. This job is cross functional in nature and involves internal as well as external coordination. 

A project coordinator is a single person who interacts with all aspects and almost all persons and agencies involved in a project and reports on both progress and roadblocks in the smooth flow of a project to not only the Project head but to the chief executive and finance director of a company.

What does a project coordinator do?

A project coordinator sees a project through right from inception upto completion. A project coordinator closely monitors whether a project is progressing as per the allocated time schedule as well as the budget and reports status and trends. This is an important coordination job where the project coordinator ensures timely availability of all resources including manpower and material to every agency involved in a project.  

Project coordinator job duties include

• Assisting and supporting the project head, 
• Preparing job descriptions and allocating tasks and jobs to project team members,
• Examining opportunities to reduce project costs and ensure compliance to allocated project budget, 
• Providing administration support and support from corporate office,
• Organising interdivision meetings and status presentations to top management on the status of the project,
• Liaisoning with clients and customers to satisfy them about the progress of the project,
• Ensuring availability of material such as construction material, 
• Ensuring availability of infrastructure on site. 

Job brief for project coordinator job

• Highly developed management skills to be able to coordinate all activities within a project,
• Excellent guide and mentor skills to be able to support initiatives in every division of the project,
• Working knowledge of different disciplines and fields for providing knowledge and inputs in different aspects of a project,
• Excellent presentation skills to be able to present performance and progress report of project, 
• Knowledge of equipment being installed at project site. 

Responsibilities of project coordinator job

• Ensuring proper communication between all agencies within a project,
• Ensuring all material, manpower and financial support reaches every section of the project,
• Ensuring there are no delays in project completion and timely alerts to be issued if delay appears to become inevitable, 
• Recommending and implementing ways to get the best output from people and helping the company to prosper.
• Ensuring that last minutes changes in the project plan are quickly incorporated into the project plan

Requirements for project coordinator job 

The most important requirements for a project cordinator job have been listed below 

• Capability to manage the performance of multiple projects and sub projects at a time,
• Knowledge of people psychology and spotting of achievers,
• A degree or a special course in project management
• Knowledge of the business or field for which the project is being executed,
• To be a motivator with people handling skills,
• Excellent communication and team building skills.
• Presentation skills to present to top management 

Average salary for project coordinator job

Key skills

The key skills required for a project coordinator job include

• Communication skills
• Team building and team management skills
• Procurement skills
• Time management skills
• Ability to design, read and follow PERT charts
• Networking with varied types of service providers 
• Ability to adapt to different projects and project sites
• Trouble shooting skills to be able to deal with and solve unforeseen problems

Why pursue a career in project coordinator job

A career in project coordination is a challenging assignment with a constantly changing environment. There is a considerable level of freedom in the job as project coordinators have a free hand in coordinating a project as long as the project is successfully completed on time and costs are kept in check. Project coordinators can innovate on the job and this is a good way to showcase their talent.. 

Each project is unique in its own way and coordination during the progress of a project is not an easy job. Whether the job is of setting up a factory in a remote location or handling the construction of an apartment complex, there is a scope to earn different trades, technology and skills. Project coordinators mostly develop a large network of service providing agencies and even logistics in the process of getting supplies and project manpower to the site.  

A project coordinator earns a good reputation for successfully completed projects and is in demand in companies that have regular ongoing projects. There is good scope of growth upto the level of project head which can go up to the level of vice president. 

How to become a project coordinator

A graduate with a special course in Project management is the first step to becoming a project coordinator.

A person wanting to become a project coordinator should seek project based companies that deal in onsite projects and seek employment in such companies. There are also many institutes that conduct short term courses in project management and organize campus placement in project based companies.

Once employed in a project-based company, interested candidates need to demonstrate abilities to coordinate project activities and convince the top boss about being given an opportunity to work as a coordinator. People can also start by assisting an existing project coordinator in a bigger project and then work independently once the opportunity comes.

Once employed as a project coordinator, persons can move to bigger companies with the initial experience of being a project coordinator. The first job as a project coordinator is as little difficult. Subsequent assignments as project coordinator are comparatively easier.  

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