Project coordinator job description

Project coordinators support project teams by managing information and resources, helping to deliver projects on time and within budget.

Reporting to a project manager, they deliver a range of coordination and administrative duties that keep teams on track, and clients updated throughout the life of the project.

This comprehensive guide includes a full project coordinator job description and everything else you need to know about the role, including salaries, skills, progression opportunities and more.

 

Guide contents

• Project coordinator job description
• How much do project coordinators earn?
• What does a project coordinator do?
• Requirements, skills and qualifications
• Who employs project coordinators?
• Which junior jobs progress to project coordinator roles?

 

Project coordinator job description

 

How much do project coordinators earn?

Project coordinators are well-paid roles with an average salary of £31,500 and plenty of scope for increasing pay with promotions.

 

Project coordinator salaries in the UK

• Low: £25,000
• Average: £31,500
• High: £40,000

Source: Totaljobs

 

Project coordinator salaries will vary depending on;

• The industry of the employer – e.g. is the role working for a construction company or a telecommunications brand?
• The type of project – e.g. is the project a company-wide software upgrade or building a new shopping centre?
• Size and cost of project – e.g. Is the project a small local project costing a few thousand pounds? Or a huge global project costing millions of pounds?
• General salary factors – such as level of candidate experience and location

For example, project coordinators working on multi-million pound global IT rollout projects, will earn more than those working on a small office-relocation project costing a few thousand pounds.

Remember these figures are averages taken from job advert samples and do not take into account extra benefits like bonuses, overtime and healthcare.

 

What does a project coordinator do?

Breaking down the job description jargon, here are the typical tasks and responsibilities that project coordinators will carry out in an average work week;

• Project scheduling – Creating and coordinating the project schedule, ensuring team are aware of plans, milestones and progress
• Budget reporting – Updating the project manager and members of the project team on the budget, including raising any issues with overspending
• Assisting the project manager – Providing ad hoc support to the project manager
• Reporting – Preparing presentations and reports for senior management to update them on the progress of the project
• Administration – Providing support to the project team in terms of taking meeting notes, filing and answering phones
• Organising meetings – Scheduling and leading meetings with project teams, clients and other stakeholders
• Preparing and maintaining project documents – Keeping accurate records of all project paperwork including trackers, schedules, stakeholder briefings and budgets
• Communications – Distributing communications to project team via email, such as updates and instructions from project manager

 

What do project coordinators need?

Project coordinators need a range of skills, experience and sometimes qualifications in order to deliver their roles effectively.

Specific requirements may change by industry, but here is an overview of what is needed.

 

Experience

Project coordinators will be expected to have some exposure to working in a project environment, supporting as either an administrator or assistant. They will need to demonstrate an understanding of how projects are delivered and have the ability to create and read project documentation, such as schedules, budgets and reports.

 

Project coordinator skills

Project coordinators work in a fast-paced environment where they need to demonstrate the following capabilities;

• Communication skills: Being able to communicate directions and updates, and actively listen to the needs of different stakeholders
• Attention to detail: Accurately collecting and distributing project information is crucial to project success
• Interpersonal skills: Building relationships and rapport with a range of people including co-workers, clients and stakeholders
• Problem solving: Addressing issues promptly and ensuring the project gets back on track as quickly as possible
• Time management: Tightly controlling the project schedule and ensuring all team members are meeting their deadlines
• Multi-tasking: Managing multiple projects or sub-projects
• Teamwork: Working closely with project teams across a range of skillsets, and providing support to senior members of staff including the project manager

And the more industry specific “hard skills” include:

• Project frameworks: Project coordinators must have a good understanding of popular project delivery framework, such as Prince2 or Agile.
• Reporting: Reporting large amounts of project data (financial, progress, risks and issues etc) requires the ability to take raw data and turn it into easily readable documents for management
• Project management software: Most modern projects are tracked and managed using project software such as Microsoft Project or Basecamp

 

Project coordinator qualifications

While not essential to have formal qualifications, some larger companies prefer that project coordinators have project management qualifications that are well-regarded across the industry.

 

APM (Association for Project Management) qualification

APM, the chartered body for the project management profession, offers three levels of qualifications; Project Fundamentals, Project Management and Project Professional. The courses are available through classroom, e-learning and distance learning and finish with an exam at each level.

 

PRINCE2

PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a globally-recognised project management methodology, providing best-practice process for delivering projects. There are courses available across the UK delivered online or in classroom, and two levels of certification; PRINCE2 Foundation and PRINCE2 Practitioner – foundation being ideal for junior level project staff, such as coordinators.

 

What is expected of a project coordinator?

Typically, a project coordinator will be expected to commit to the following;

• Standard business hours – (35 – 40 hours per week) with some overtime in the lead up to project deadlines
• Occasional evening or weekend work – dependent on project milestones
• Location – Normally based at the employer’s office – sometimes travel to project site will be required

 

Project coordinator benefits

Project coordinators usually work for large organisations and have access to a range of additional benefits including:

• Pension plans
• Healthcare
• Training and development
• Corporate discounts

 

 

Who employs project coordinators?

Project coordinators are usually employed to support large project teams for organisations undergoing change – which means that it’s normally large companies or public sector divisions who hire them.

Industries which typically employ project coordinators include:

• Consultancies – Companies who outsource project management services to other firms
• IT
• Telecommunications
• Healthcare
• Financial services
• Law
• Construction
• Engineering
• Management consultancy
• Marketing and media
• Government
• Charities
• Oil and gas

 

Which junior jobs progress to project coordinator roles?

While project coordinators are relatively junior positions, they do have responsibility for overseeing the administrative functions of the project. In order to gain this experience, project coordinators may have started in the following roles:

 

Project administrator

In larger project teams, project administrators will provide support in terms of filing documents, taking meeting notes and coordinating diaries.

Project support officer

Project support officers are junior staff who are responsible for monitoring schedules and budgets, and preparing reports.

 

Which senior jobs do project coordinators progress to?

There are many opportunities for project coordinators to build their project management experience or branch out to other areas of a business, such as:

 

Project manager

Project managers hold ultimate responsibility for the delivery of the project, from initiation to completion. They often have a number of direct reports, and need to delegate tasks and allocate resources across the project team.

 

Project coordinator job description – conclusion

Project coordinators work within a fast-paced, challenging environment but it can be an exciting career choice, with the potential to work in a range of industries.

Generally well-paid and with a clear pathway for progression, the role of a project coordinator will be fulfilling for candidates who enjoy multi-tasking and working with teams of people.