Project Coordinator

About the role

ABOUT THE ROLE The Project Coordinator is a critical execution engine within the PMO, responsible for translating strategic project plans into daily operational reality. With 1–3 years of project experience and a mandatory engineering foundation, this role sits at the crossroads of technical delivery, stakeholder management, and process governance. You will work alongside Project Managers and cross-functional engineering teams to drive on-time, on-budget delivery of complex projects, while building the expertise to grow into a fully-fledged Project Manager. This role is designed for professionals who are detail-oriented yet commercially aware, technically fluent yet people-centric, and process-driven yet creative in problem-solving. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Project Planning & Schedule Management • Develop, maintain, and control detailed project schedules using MS Project, Primavera P6, or Smartsheet, covering scope, WBS, milestones, and critical path. • Support the creation and maintenance of Project Charters, Scope Statements, and Project Management Plans in alignment with PMI/PMBOK standards. • Monitor schedule performance indicators (SPI, CPI) and proactively flag deviations; recommend corrective actions to the Project Manager. • Manage project baseline changes through formal change control processes, assessing the scope, cost, and schedule impact of change requests. 2. Engineering & Technical Coordination • Serve as the liaison between engineering disciplines (mechanical, electrical, civil, or relevant domain) and the Project Manager, translating technical progress into project-level reporting. • Track technical deliverables, design approvals, and engineering milestones against the project plan; escalate risks proactively. • Coordinate reviews of technical documents, drawings, specifications, and inspection reports with internal and external stakeholders. • Support constructability reviews, technical risk assessments, and engineering change management processes. 3. Risk, Issue & Quality Management • Own and maintain the RAID Log (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies), facilitating regular reviews and driving resolution ownership. • Conduct structured risk identification workshops; support quantitative and qualitative risk analysis using probability-impact matrices. • Monitor quality control checkpoints and ensure deliverables meet contractual, regulatory, and client specifications. • Prepare non-conformance reports (NCRs) and track corrective and preventive action (CAPA) closure. 4. Stakeholder Communication & Reporting • Prepare and distribute stakeholder-ready project status reports, dashboards, and executive summaries on weekly and monthly cadences. • Facilitate project meetings, workshops, and technical reviews, including agendas, minutes, action tracking, and follow-ups. • Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal teams, vendors, contractors, and clients, including international accounts where applicable. • Translate complex technical and project information into clear, concise communication tailored to executive, technical, and client audiences. 5. Cost, Procurement & Contract Coordination • Support project cost tracking and budget variance analysis; maintain up-to-date cost reports and earned value data. • Coordinate with procurement and supply chain teams on vendor or subcontractor onboarding, PO issuance, and delivery tracking. • Assist in contract administration, including monitoring deliverable obligations, tracking milestones tied to payments, and flagging contractual risks. • Maintain procurement trackers and support invoice verification and approval workflows. 6. Agile, Hybrid & Continuous Improvement • Actively participate in Agile ceremonies where applicable, including sprint planning, stand-ups, retrospectives, and backlog grooming. • Contribute to process improvement initiatives by identifying inefficiencies, mapping current-state workflows, and proposing optimized future-state solutions. • Support lessons-learned sessions and ensure outputs are captured and incorporated into the PMO knowledge base. • Champion digital adoption of PM tools, automation, and AI-assisted workflows to improve team productivity. REQUIREMENTS Mandatory: Education • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering. Relevant disciplines include Mechanical, Electronics, Electrical, Mechatronics, or related fields. Mandatory: Relevant Industry Knowledge • 1–3 years of hands-on experience in a project environment within a relevant industry. Experience & Certifications Mandatory • 1–3 years of project coordination or project management experience in a technical or engineering environment. • Demonstrated ability to independently manage project scope, schedules, risks, costs, action logs, and multi-stakeholder communication. • Proficiency in at least one project scheduling tool such as Jira, Smartsheet, or equivalent. • Strong command of the MS Office Suite, including advanced Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, dashboards) and PowerPoint. Nice to Have • PMI CAPM, PMP, PRINCE2 Foundation, or PMI-ACP certification. Preferred • Experience with Agile or Scrum frameworks alongside traditional waterfall or hybrid delivery models. • Familiarity with Earned Value Management (EVM) concepts and cost-schedule integration. Nice to Have • International project or customer exposure, including coordination across geographies, time zones, or regulatory environments. • Experience with Power BI, Tableau, or similar data visualization platforms for project reporting. SOFT SKILLS — MANDATORY & NON-NEGOTIABLE Communication Excellence • Articulates project status, risks, and changes with precision and confidence to both technical and executive audiences. Demonstrates active listening; written communication is clear, structured, and error-free. Stakeholder Management • Builds credibility and trust across organizational levels. Manages competing stakeholder interests with diplomacy, tact, and data-backed reasoning. Negotiation & Influencing • Negotiates timelines, resource commitments, and scope boundaries without escalating conflict. Influences without authority by earning buy-in through preparation and empathy. Conflict Resolution • Identifies tensions early and facilitates constructive resolution. Remains calm, objective, and solution-oriented under pressure or ambiguity. Accountability & Ownership • Takes full ownership of assigned workstreams. Proactively flags risks, proposes solutions, and closes actions on time. Cross-cultural Sensitivity • Demonstrates awareness and respect for diverse cultural norms, essential for international customer engagement and global team collaboration. Structured Problem-Solving • Applies logical frameworks such as 5-Why, Fishbone, and PDCA to diagnose root causes and drive sustainable corrective actions. Adaptability & Resilience • Maintains high performance through scope changes, ambiguity, and shifting priorities. Reframes setbacks as learning opportunities. INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMER EXPOSURE Nice to Have — Differentiating Advantage Candidates with international exposure will be prioritized when all other factors are equal. This includes: • Managing or coordinating deliverables for customers across multiple geographies or time zones • Interfacing directly with international client project teams, including attending reviews, resolving issues, and managing expectations • Navigating cross-cultural communication dynamics and adapting stakeholder engagement styles accordingly • Understanding international project standards, export compliance, or multi-currency project environments • Language skills beyond the native tongue are an advantage (Arabic, French, Spanish, Mandarin, or German preferred)