Project coordinators have a challenging job. They must assist project managers in ensuring that all the elements of a project are completed on deadline and within the budget. In addition to that, they must negotiate and coordinate with team members and other stakeholders, which means they need excellent “soft skills” such as communication and empathy.

If a project begins to creep beyond its original scope, the project coordinator’s job becomes even more complex. It’s a role that requires fantastic management, multitasking and coordination skills. In light of all that, how much does it typically pay?

What is a project coordinator’s average salary?

According to Emsi Burning Glass, which collects and analyzes millions of job postings from across the country, the median project coordinator salary currently stands at $47,072. That’s much lower than the average salary for technologists in general: According to the latest Dice Tech Salary Report, the average technologist salary stands at $104,566, having increased 6.9 percent between 2020 and 2021.  

As with many jobs, however, a project coordinator’s salary increases with experience and skills; working at a deep-pocketed company (such as a tech giant) can also have a very positive impact on salary. Those with more than nine years in the role can earn as much as $83,000, and that’s before you consider perks and benefits. At a certain point, many project coordinators may choose to become a project manager, which can often prove more lucrative.

What is a project coordinator’s starting salary?

Project coordinators with between zero and two years of experience might expect to earn a median salary of $44,000. Education can also impact starting salaries; those with an associate’s degree have a median salary of $41,000, while those who’ve earned a bachelor’s can pull down $52,000.

What are the most valuable skills for a project coordinator?

An analysis by Emsi Burning Glass shows that the following skills pop up most often in job postings for project coordinators:

• Project management
• Scheduling
• Budgeting
• Customer service
• Project planning and development skills
• Administrative support

In addition, these job postings list “soft skills” such as communication, organization, teamwork/collaboration, problem-solving, multi-tasking, and writing—all of which are key to helping manage teams in a complex, often fast-paced environment.

Project coordinators are used in multiple industries. In a tech-industry context, however, keep in mind that many companies will want you to grasp your projects’ technical aspects. If you’re assisting a project manager in a software-development effort (building a mobile app, say), you’ll almost certainly need working knowledge of the programming languages, tools, and platforms involved.

Are project coordinators in demand?

Over the past 12 months, employers posted some 65,936 open positions for project managers, and the average time to fill an open role was 38 days—a bit lower than other roles such as software developer, and indicative of somewhat softer demand. Emsi Burning Glass predicts that the project coordinator role will grow roughly four percent over the next decade.