What does a construction project coordinator do?

By Adam Chandler, founder of Pangea · September 14, 2026

A construction project coordinator handles the paperwork and follow-up that keep a construction project moving. They schedule meetings and write the minutes, keep the submittal, RFI, and change order logs current, control drawing revisions, collect subcontractor paperwork, and chase every open item until someone closes it. They work under a project manager and don't make the calls on scope, cost, or schedule. Their job is to make sure those calls get written down and carried out.

This guide is written mainly for firms deciding whether to hire one. It covers what the job includes at each phase of a project, what it doesn't include, what it pays, and a job description you can copy. If you're applying for the role, the same details tell you what the interview will probe.

What does a construction project coordinator do day to day?

Most of the day goes to moving information between people and keeping the written record in line with what was agreed. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes project coordinators as working "under the direction of a project manager" on administrative tasks like compiling paperwork and setting up meetings (BLS Career Outlook). On a construction job, that usually means:

• Scheduling the weekly coordination meeting and the OAC meeting, sending agendas, and writing and distributing the minutes
• Following up on action items from those meetings until each one is done or reassigned
• Logging submittals and RFIs, routing them to the architect or engineer, and tracking responses against due dates
• Keeping the drawing set current, so the field builds from the latest revision and superseded sheets are marked void
• Preparing change order paperwork and tracking each change from request to signed document
• Collecting subcontractor documents such as contracts, insurance certificates, and lien waivers
• Assembling the backup for monthly pay applications
• Tracking permits and inspections, including expiration dates and resubmittal deadlines
• Updating the schedule and the project management software when something changes

A lot of the job is chasing. A submittal log only helps if someone calls the structural engineer on Thursday to ask about the shop drawings that were promised on Monday. Our submittal log guide covers that tracking in more detail.

How does the job change over the life of a project?

The work shifts with the phase. Early on it's setup and permits, during construction it's logs and meetings, and at the end it's closeout documents.

Is the job different at a contractor, an engineering firm, or a developer?

Yes. The title is the same, but the paperwork depends on which side of the project the firm sits on.

At a general contractor, the coordinator sits closest to the field. The work centers on subcontractor paperwork, submittals going out to the design team, RFIs, and pay applications, and the coordinator usually works alongside a project engineer and a superintendent.

At an architecture or engineering firm, the coordinator handles the other side of the same exchange. They log the submittals and RFIs that come in for review and make sure responses go back on time. They also manage the drawing set and transmittals, keep consultants on schedule, and often help with invoicing. The BLS profile linked above is built around a coordinator at an architecture firm.

At a land developer, much of the work happens before anything gets built: entitlement applications, city review comments, consultant deliverables, hearing dates, and agency deadlines. A coordinator there may track a long list of consultants across several jobs at once.

What doesn't a construction project coordinator do?

A coordinator doesn't decide. They don't approve changes, negotiate with the owner, set the budget, or direct the trades on site. Those calls belong to the project manager and, in the field, the superintendent. When a coordinator spots a problem, like a submittal that's about to hold up a material order or a permit that's about to expire, the job is to get it in front of the person who can decide, with the paperwork ready.

That line matters when you hire. A job description that asks a coordinator to "manage the project" will either attract candidates who expect a project manager's pay, or set up a coordinator to take the blame for decisions they had no authority to make. For more on where the line sits, see project coordinator vs project manager.

What skills and background does the role need?

Organization and persistence matter more than any particular degree. According to the same BLS profile, project coordinators typically need at least a high school diploma. Some employers want a bachelor's degree or a technical certification, and many prefer several years in the industry, even if that experience wasn't in coordination.

In construction, these are the skills that separate a strong coordinator from an average one:

• Writing minutes that say plainly who owes what, by when
• Reading a drawing set well enough to know which sheet a question is about
• Working comfortably in spreadsheets and the firm's project management software
• Knowing the vocabulary (submittal, RFI, change order, retainage) well enough to follow a meeting without a glossary
• Following up with a busy senior engineer for the third time and still keeping the relationship friendly

How much does a construction project coordinator make?

Glassdoor's 2026 data puts the average US construction project coordinator salary at about $83,680. That figure is self-reported, and pay varies with region, firm size, and how much of the project manager's work the coordinator takes on. There isn't a government figure to compare it against: the 2015 BLS profile says the bureau doesn't collect data on project coordinators and counts them among "business operations specialists, all other."

Construction project coordinator job description template

Copy this and edit it for your firm. Replace the bracketed parts.

Project coordinator

Reports to: [Project manager, or director of operations]

Summary: The project coordinator supports [one or more] project managers on [type of projects], keeping project documents, meetings, and follow-up current from preconstruction through closeout. The coordinator owns the project record. If something was agreed, it is written down, filed to the right project, and tracked until it's done.

Responsibilities

• Schedule project meetings, prepare agendas, and send minutes within [24 hours]
• Track action items from meetings and follow up until each one is closed
• Maintain the submittal, RFI, and change order logs, and route documents for review
• Manage the current drawing set and document revisions
• Collect and track subcontractor contracts, insurance certificates, and lien waivers
• Assemble backup for monthly pay applications
• Track permits, inspections, and agency deadlines
• Keep the project schedule and [project management software] current
• Assemble closeout documents, including warranties, operation and maintenance manuals, and as-builts

Qualifications

• [Number] years in construction, engineering, or a related office role (coordination experience not required)
• Clear writing: can turn a one-hour meeting into a short list of who owes what
• Comfortable with spreadsheets and [project management software]
• Familiar with drawings, specifications, submittals, and RFIs

Not part of this role

Approving changes, setting budgets, and directing field work. Those stay with the project manager and the superintendent.

How do you know your firm needs a coordinator?

You need one when your project managers make good decisions but spend too much of the week writing up meetings, updating logs, and answering "where are we on this?" Watch for these signs:

• Minutes go out days late, or not at all
• The same action item comes up in three meetings in a row before anyone owns it
• People in the office and the field are working from different drawing revisions
• The project management software is only as current as the last free afternoon someone had
• If a PM left tomorrow, most of the project's history would leave with them

The time cost shows up across the industry. The FMI and PlanGrid study Construction Disconnected estimated that construction professionals spend about 5.5 hours a week just looking for project data. When one person keeps the record current and easy to find, everyone else spends less of the week hunting for it.

Where Pangea fits

Pangea is an AI project coordinator for land developers, engineers, and architects, and it takes on the information side of the job described above. It records your meetings with no bot in the call, including in-person meetings with a phone on the table. It reads the project email and the documents in the folders you connect, writes the minutes in your firm's format, and files each meeting, decision, and document to the right project.

It also pulls tasks, schedule updates, and deadline changes out of the conversation as suggestions. You approve or deny each one, and approved updates land in the project file and in the PM software you already run. Pangea doesn't make decisions for anyone. Your people keep the judgment, and Pangea handles the minutes, the filing, and the updates. The AI project coordinator page shows how it works. The trial is 14 days, no credit card.

Frequently asked questions