Traffic coordinators
must make sure that projects are moved along the work process smoothly and efficiently.
The responsibilities of a traffic coordinator revolve around monitoring and channeling communication between the different departments in an organization. Traffic coordinators can be found in a wide spectrum of industries, including manufacturing, entertainment, consumer products, retail and technology. To accurately manage the multiple requests that are filtered through their desk daily, traffic coordinators must be excellent at multi-tasking, as well as tracking and organizing information for different types of projects.
Function
The primary job of a traffic coordinator is to make sure that projects move along seamlessly through the work process from start to completion. As a project manager, traffic coordinators send out communications to corporate offices and employees, schedule activities and establish objectives for their group. Traffic coordinators may also create and maintain work schedules to track and prioritize responsibilities between various departments. In addition, these professionals may manage outgoing and incoming shipments, process invoices, enter information into program logs and interact with external vendors.
Education
Employers that only require a high school diploma for traffic coordinator roles also prefer candidates with at least three to five years of work experience in the field. Some positions require a bachelor's degree in marketing, business management or a related major.
Skills
Traffic coordinators must be highly organized, outgoing, amiable and work well with different personalities. Candidates should be excellent project managers and able to quickly solve complex problems. Employers also require applicants with strong math, computer, verbal and written communication skills. Some industries require that applicants have one to five years of experience working in the sector.
Salary
According to an Indeed.com April 2010 report, the average salary for traffic coordinators in the United States was $44,000. Traffic coordinator positions vary based on location, employer and years of experience. For example, SalaryList.com reports salaries ranging from $27,000 to $57,813 for traffic coordinators across a wide spectrum of industries and states. Moreover, a May 2006 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report listed that the median annual salary for a traffic coordinator was $36,070.
Potential
Because traffic coordinators work in different industries such as warehousing, printing, law enforcement and advertising, it is difficult to forecast the job outlook for the traffic coordinating profession. However, DiplomaGuide.com states that experienced traffic coordinators with strong computer skills will have the best job prospects and growth opportunities.
