How To Become A Special Services Coordinator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a special services coordinator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Barbara Peterson,

Sonja Armbruster

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a special services coordinator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.54 an hour? That's $42,725 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 12% and produce 52,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a special services coordinator?

Barbara Peterson

Professor of Human Resources, Tacoma Community College

The work we do in Human Services and mental health is hard. We hear stories from people every day that are heart-wrenching. To be effective, we must take care of ourselves first. This is not being selfish. Just as we hear from the flight attendants every time we fly, we must put our oxygen masks on before assisting others. Self-care is vital and should be practiced every day. Self-care is about creating and maintaining a balanced life that includes proper nutrition, plenty of sleep, exercise, and creative activities and hobbies. Self-care also includes developing healthy relationships with people away from work and, when needed, a mental health professional's visit.

ScoreSpecial Services CoordinatorUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $42,725

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.71%

Asian 5.85%

Black or African American 12.03%

Hispanic or Latino 18.67%

Unknown 4.76%

White 56.98%

Gender

female 72.40%

male 27.60%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a special services coordinator

Explore special services coordinator education requirements

Most common special services coordinator degrees

Bachelor's

58.2 %

Master's

17.2 %

Associate

13.6 %

Start to develop specific special services coordinator skills

Skills	Percentages
Social Work	48.24%
Community Resources	6.17%
IEP	5.44%
Staff Development	5.22%
Community Agencies	4.97%

Complete relevant special services coordinator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New special services coordinators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a special services coordinator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real special services coordinator resumes.

Research special services coordinator duties and responsibilities

Manage work flow to ensure all payroll transactions are process accurately/timely.
Document IFSP outcomes that focus on the areas of strength and weakness that are to be addressed by therapists
Verify Medicaid eligibility and status per various state websites.
Process and coordinate appeal requests from members and providers while exceeding contractual and NCQA regulatory requirements for commercial and Medicaid members.

Prepare your special services coordinator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your special services coordinator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a special services coordinator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable special services coordinator resume templates

Build a professional special services coordinator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your special services coordinator resume.

Apply for special services coordinator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a special services coordinator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average special services coordinator salary

The average special services coordinator salary in the United States is $42,725 per year or $21 per hour. Special services coordinator salaries range between $32,000 and $56,000 per year.

Average special services coordinator salary

$42,725 Yearly

$20.54 hourly

How do special services coordinators rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Special services coordinator reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2023

Pros

Fulfilling, has a flexible schedule, and very team-oriented environment.

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2022

Pros

The company I work for is it very small company but very generous to its employees. Has great benefits that start out right away wonderful training programs. And does a great service for our community.

Cons

I I wish the wages were a little higher.

What is a special services coordinator and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a special services coordinator?

Special services coordinator career paths

Key steps to become a special services coordinator

Explore special services coordinator education requirements

Most common special services coordinator degrees

Start to develop specific special services coordinator skills

Complete relevant special services coordinator training and internships

Research special services coordinator duties and responsibilities

Prepare your special services coordinator resume

Choose from 10+ customizable special services coordinator resume templates

Apply for special services coordinator jobs

How did you land your first special services coordinator job

Average special services coordinator salary

How do special services coordinators rate their job?

Special services coordinator reviews