Automatically apply for jobs with Zippia

Upload your resume to get started.

Program coordinator skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Patricia L. McMahon Ph.D.,

Steven Baule

One of the most important hard skills a program coordinator can possess is ample experience in developing work procedures, because this will form the foundation of your work. It's also important for program coordinators to have the hard skills of experience with professional development programs, and data entry.

When it comes to soft skills, program coordinators should have strong communication and customer service skills above all else. Program coordinators need to be great at managing time, so organization skills are also crucial.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical program coordinator skills. We ranked the top skills for program coordinators based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.3% of program coordinator resumes contained customer service as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a program coordinator needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 program coordinator skills for your resume and career

1. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how program coordinators use customer service:

Provided exemplary customer service and utilized professional and culturally competent communications skills, often addressing sensitive topics and difficult subject matter.
Provide exceptional customer service in a demanding environment along with accurate record keeping while maintaining a high level of confidentiality.

2. Patients

Here's how program coordinators use patients:

Provide clinical social work/counseling services to patients and caregivers; teach Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction, therapeutic art and dance/movement therapy groups.
Participated in establishing a method to identify potential core measure patients at admission and notify their physician/nurse to increase measure compliance.

4. PowerPoint

Here's how program coordinators use powerpoint:

Demonstrated computer skills, including ability to utilize databases and other office software applications including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Participated in the development of forms, overhead slides, educational materials and PowerPoint presentations in support of department and educators.

5. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how program coordinators use mental health:

Administered the court-related programs for a licensed substance-abuse/mental health agency holding a Massachusetts Department of Public Health certification for batterer intervention.
Created/developed initial program that provided prevention and intervention pertaining to Substance Abuse/Mental Health for veterans, their children and their spouses.

6. Excellent Organizational

Here's how program coordinators use excellent organizational:

Managed multiple and conflicting tasks requiring excellent organizational skills as well as ability to use diplomacy during difficult circumstances.
Recognized by senior management and staff for strong work ethic, excellent organizational skills, and outstanding communications abilities.

Choose from 10+ customizable program coordinator resume templates

Build a professional program coordinator resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your program coordinator resume.

7. Professional Development

Professional development means to have the essential training certification or education with the purpose of earning and having a successful career. Every job requires a different set of skills. However, new skills may be needed in the future. Professional development, in this regard, helps people to develop and polish the skills and become efficient workers.

Here's how program coordinators use professional development:

Structured and executed activities to assist students in their personal and professional development for an academic institution with over 5,000 students.
Improved office communication through creation of CPE newsletter and by conducting professional development training in conflict management for support staff.

8. Data Collection

Data collection means to analyze and collect all the necessary information. It helps in carrying out research and in storing important and necessary information. The most important goal of data collection is to gather the information that is rich and accurate for statistical analysis.

Here's how program coordinators use data collection:

Articulated program outcome objectives and indicators, developed data collection system, and synthesized and reported outcome results to funding organizations.
Develop and monitor network communications including quarterly newsletter, website and on-line surveys; completed data collection and database management.

9. Financial Reports

Here's how program coordinators use financial reports:

Prepare executive summary and financial reports as required by Department management to the state Legislature and other Departments of state government.
Complied records and prepared monthly financial reports for approved applications, unapproved applications and pending applications for financial assistance.

10. Community Outreach

Here's how program coordinators use community outreach:

Reorganized recruitment strategy to include more active marketing and community outreach to reach potential foster parents able to manage difficult behaviors.
Participated in the implementation of yearly orientation events, admissions and registration sessions, community outreach programs and commencement ceremonies.

11. Public Health

Here's how program coordinators use public health:

Collaborated with public health workers to improve outcomes measurement of community programming; resulted in enhanced focus of ongoing program development efforts
Developed individual treatment plans that incorporated goals and objectives consistent with San Francisco's Department of Public Health chemical dependency guidelines.

12. Community Resources

Community resources are a set of resources that are used in the day to day life of people which improves their lifestyle in some way. People, sites or houses, and population assistance can come under the services offered by community resources.

Here's how program coordinators use community resources:

Maintain ongoing communication with parents/ family, service facilitators, and community resources to encourage growth and independence in the individuals.
Mentored and advocated for scholars during their transition including completion of required health and financial paperwork and connection to community resources.

13. HR

HR stands for human resources and is used to describe the set of people who work for a company or an organization. HR responsibilities revolve around updating employee records and carrying out management processes like planning, recruitment, evaluation, and selection processes. HR is a key contributor to any company or organization's growth as they are in charge of hiring the right employees, processing payrolls, conducting disciplinary actions, etc.

Here's how program coordinators use hr:

Supervised HR problems and investigated them and made proper recommendations to higher manager.
Implemented attendance reporting for transparency of HR compliance and operational initiatives.

14. Program Development

Program development refers to a road for developers to guide them on creating and developing viable community programs. Since it provides an action plan for the project, it is a continuous process that only ends with the program's full implementation.

Here's how program coordinators use program development:

Identified and developed relationships with key professionals from state and local government, business and non- profit organizations for program development.
Developed reproductive health education programs, workshop curriculum, materials and other products directly related to program development and training.

15. Provides Administrative Support

Here's how program coordinators use provides administrative support:

Manage office operations (including filing of sensitive records), provides administrative support to supervisor and staff members.
Program Assistant provides administrative support primarily to Family and Youth programs to ensure that the department operations run smoothly.

5 Program Coordinator resume examples

Build a professional program coordinator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 5+ resume templates to create your program coordinator resume.

Create my resume

Build a professional resume in minutes using this template.

What skills help Program Coordinators find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on program coordinator resumes?

Patricia L. McMahon Ph.D.

Professor, Carlow University

The pandemic disrupted the routines and procedures of school and emphasized the need for school leaders who can innovate at the level of practice and problem-solve with a systems approach. In their capacity as systems thinkers, school leaders need to interact successfully with a variety of stakeholders at the school, state, and federal levels to build external networks and partnerships. As instructional leaders, they work with teachers to provide meaningful opportunities to design learning experiences that foster independent learning. They need to demonstrate strong communication skills to create a culture of learning and equity, and they must value and model interpersonal skills that advance a shared commitment to the dignity of all learners. As digital leaders, they must effectively use technologies and navigate an evolving digital landscape. As managers, they must be comfortable with data analysis for strategic decision-making.

What soft skills should all program coordinators possess?

Steven Baule

Department Chair, Winona State University

Communications skills are essential for all leaders regardless of industry. Educational leaders have to be able to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders ranging from students through parents to staff and community leaders. Skills and experience in managing student behaviors are often one of the most sought-after sets of soft skills, and aspiring educational leaders will nearly always be queried on their experiences on this front during interviews.

What hard/technical skills are most important for program coordinators?

Dr. Cecil Holland Ph.D.

Professor of Nursing, Associate Dean & COO of Nursing, Assistant Dean for Admission, Student Affairs & Program Effectiveness, Winston-Salem State University

Some of the hard and or technical skills that are necessary for a program coordinator are proficiency with computer technology, learning management systems, communication, project management, data analysis. Being competent in the various computer technologies and platforms is critical to effectively and efficiently manage and/or coordinate a nursing program. All forms of communication are important, including but not limited to technical writing, editing, translations, reporting, etc. Popular data analytics skills may include database management, translation of data, web analytics, and dissemination of data.

What program coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Jordan Levy Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Anthropology, Pacific Lutheran University

Some students enter college having taken a "gap year" between high school and university. Any kind of volunteer or work experience that further develops their interpersonal communication skills is beneficial for the range of discussion and small group work that university-level classes require. Some students do service projects in other countries, which is great because they also gain international experiences that contribute to their overall formation as informed global citizens. These experiences can then tell what kinds of classes they take in university and can remain a source of inspiration for what careers they pursue.

What type of skills will young program coordinators need?

Jamelyn Tobery-Nystrom

Coordinator of M.Ed. Special Education, Frostburg State University

Special education needs are wide and varying, depending on position and state/jurisdiction needs. In general, knowledge and experience in the Autism Spectrum is a high need area. Knowledge and skills in behavioral/mental health are also in demand. Indeed, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ability to adapt instruction online is a new skill area for special education teachers.

What technical skills for a program coordinator stand out to employers?

Lauren Nicolosi

Career Advisor for Liberal Arts & Sciences, Rider University

This very much depends on the field. I work with students mainly in liberal arts and sciences where there is much diversity in the types of industries and opportunities my students are interested in. I recommend career research and preparation so that there are no surprises and so that students have opportunities to take classes to build their related technical skills, to utilize platforms like LinkedIn Learning in order to broaden their value, and to generally have a plan of action to fill in any gaps in skills.

Do you want to know more?

List of program coordinator skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a program coordinator resume and required skills for a program coordinator to have include:

Customer Service
Patients
Social Work
PowerPoint
Mental Health
Excellent Organizational
Professional Development
Data Collection
Financial Reports
Community Outreach
Public Health
Community Resources
HR
Program Development
Provides Administrative Support
CPR
Curriculum Development

Event Planning
Substance Abuse
Developmental Disabilities
Support Services
Educational Programs
Conflict Resolution
Technical Assistance
Crisis Intervention
Administrative Tasks
Training Programs
Community Agencies
Program Budget
Training Sessions
Community Services
Facebook
Travel Arrangements
SharePoint

Program Effectiveness
Community Organizations
Program Operations
Promotional Materials
Twitter
Staff Training
Healthcare Administration
Community Events
Google Drive
Social Justice
Training Materials
State Regulations
Press Releases
Guest Speakers
Defense Travel System
at-Risk Youth

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs