Program Coordinator Job Description

The work of the program coordinator is one of the most complex and requires a lot of skills and effort.

They deal with organizing, planning and executing, budgeting events and activities in a team.

If you like working with scheduling, building business relations, dealing with financial activities, a program coordinator job is suitable for you.

A person looking into a program coordinator job should be skillful and qualified in particular things.

Specific education and related experience are also required.

Overview of a Program Coordinator Job

A program coordinator is responsible for monitoring the staff, procedures, and budget ensuring that the program implementation is right and successful.

A program coordinator works primarily in the healthcare and educational areas.

They are involved in the non-profit activities which imply a wide range of administrative and HR tasks.

They deal with a lot of scheduling and billing as well as building business relations with other teams.

The program coordinator’s work involves monitoring the workload, working hours, and vacations of the staff.

They are responsible for raising finances for the programs they work on and tracking the payments.

They have to ensure that the project is running smoothly and stays on track in terms of both timing and funds.

This work includes a wide variety of tasks besides these.

Job Description of a Program Coordinator

Education:

A Bachelor’s degree.

Essential skills:

• Detail-oriented.
• Problem-solving.
• Organized.
• Critical thinking.
• Verbal and written communication.
• Listening.
• Social.
• Leadership.

Working conditions:

Regular hours in an office.

Occasional traveling can be involved.

Similar positions:

Office manager, program manager, general/operations manager, account manager, marketing coordinator.

Responsibilities of a Program Coordinator

Job responsibilities of a program coordinator can vary depending on a project and job setting.

General

• Implementation of practices and policies.
• Planning and coordination of a program and program activities.
• Managing communication channels (media, social media, etc).
• Budgeting and monitoring expenses.
• Organization and scheduling of events or meetings.
• Maintaining positive relations in a team.
• Paperwork.
• Purchasing supplies.
• Ensuring the proper use of technology.
• Development and growth of a program.
• Keeping up-to-date records and logs.

Healthcare

• Caring for patients and scheduling appointments.
• Supervising the staff and dealing with paperwork.
• Monitoring workload and productivity.
• Interacting with the administration and other superiors.

Non-profit

• Gathering members and fundraising.
• Dispersing information about the program and establishing partnerships.
• Executing new academic programs and setting up long- and short-term plans.
• Mediating between the organization members and cooperating with other organizations.

University

• Management of the university policies and coming up with outreach activities.
• Fundraiser coordination.
• Ensuring meeting goals and education plans.
• Selecting students and faculty staff.
• Communication and cooperation with students and other universities and businesses.

Necessary Skills for a Program Coordinator

There are some skills that are essential for the prospective program coordinators.

They should possess these skills and include them in their resume.

Leadership:

Leadership skills are essential for a program coordinator as they use them to properly manage the teams and projects.

They should also be able to adapt to different types of people and their personalities.

To fulfill the tasks successfully, they should be socially graceful and self-motivated.

Organization:

A program coordinator should be well-organized, detail-oriented and be able to think ahead.

Critical thinking and the ability to work under stress are essential skills as well.

Administration:

A program coordinator should have good administrative and office skills and be good with numbers.

Problem-solving skills are also critical.

Interaction:

Being able to adapt to people and build good relations is essential as well as listening skills and good interaction with people.

Written and verbal communication skills are also important for the job.

How to Become a Program Coordinator

Officially, the minimum education requirement is a high school diploma for the program coordinator job.

However, in the modern market, employers require a candidate to have more advanced education.

The majority of employees, whether they are youth, residency, or academic program coordinators have to deal with the budgets and schedules and realize the programs.

Education and Qualifications

Commonly, a Bachelor’s degree or at least a technical training in a particular discipline is required for a program coordinator job.

The disciplines can vary based on the job setting and projects.

It is not mandatory to have the experience with one of the specialties or certifications, but the experienced candidate has far better chances to get the job than the junior specialist.

There are classes related to the area offered in most universities and any high-school graduate can enroll in them.

Experience

The candidates are preferred to have at least some experience in the industry where they want to work.

A candidate with even with the minimum experience in the industry has better chances to get a job than the one with extensive experience as a program coordinator but in a different area.

Gaining experience for the position isn’t hard.

The aspiring employees can acquire internships.

For example, prospective employees can get a clerical job and gain the necessary skills for a program coordinator position.

Working Hours

Since program coordinators maintain the schedule of the entire team, they can set their working hours to a certain degree.

Program coordinator usually works a 30 to 40-hour workweek.

However, based on the stage of the project, the schedule can change.

In the off-season, the workweek can be shorter.

During more intense periods, the workweek can be as long as 50 hours.

A program coordinator usually doesn’t have working weekends or holidays.

Overtime hours depend on how well the project is going on.

Salary of a Program Coordinator

Non-profit

Based on Payscale data, a program coordinator in a non-profit area makes $42,043 on average.

The salary ranges between $32,000 and $59,000.

Salary varies based on your experience and skills as well as the time you’ve been working in the area.

Education

Payscale reports that a program coordinator working in the education area can make $45,498 on average.

Salaries can go from $34,000 to $63,000.

Similarly, it is determined by skills, experience, and how long your work in the company.

Job Perspectives

In the modern innovative world, people develop their management and entrepreneurship skills.

So program coordinators are in demand for the new projects.

The employment rate is expected to grow by 21% by the year 2022.

Since there’s not much education required for the position and experience can be gained fairly easy, the projections for this job are quite positive.

Conclusion

A program coordinator is one of the most versatile management positions.

The candidates should expect to acquire a lot of responsibilities and hard work.

With favorable perspectives for employment, it is easy to get a job as a program coordinator.

When you think you would like to pursue a promotion, you can look into becoming and program or project manager.