To think this is not what a Senior Project Coordinator role is meant to look like?

[TheBlueHelper]

I’m in a fixed-term role as a Senior Project Coordinator (£43k) and I’m starting to question whether what I’m doing even resembles what that title implies.

On paper, it’s meant to be a strategic and delivery-focused position - coordinating key activities, working with partners, overseeing support to beneficiaries and ensuring things run smoothly. But in reality? Most of my time is spent:

-Chasing proof of payment and filling out reimbursement claims
-Manually emailing clients individually about events
-Being treated as the middle person between clients and finance, or clients and other staff
-Having very little onboarding or clarity, then being told to “take ownership”
-Fielding calls and emails from my manager that feel less like leadership and more like delegation of whatever she hasn’t had time to do
-Cleaning up or continuing things she dropped /forgot about/couldn’t be bothered to do but with no real authority to push back or make structural decisions
-Being expected to know things I’ve never been trained on but also micromanaged on admin

It’s exhausting. I feel more like someone’s PA (specifically my manager’s), a claims processor or general inbox-wrangler than anything remotely “senior.”

AIBU to think that this isn’t what the role should look like? I know titles don’t always match the tasks but this feels like misrepresentation and I’m starting to wonder if I’ve just been hired to do the parts no one else wants to touch.

How long have you been in the role? Are there other people in the organisation with a similar title?

It does sound a bit shit and like it isn't developing you

Just over two months now. There are other people in the organisation with the same title but from what I can tell, their day to day work seems quite different - more project oversight and coordination, less direct client admin.

What’s frustrating is the disconnect between the job title and what I’m actually doing. It feels more like a reactive support or case processing role than a strategic or developmental one. There’s been little to no induction or structured guidance and I’ve been left to figure things out as I go. It’s definitely not what I expected from a senior-level post and I worry that it’s not helping me grow the way I’d hoped.

What does your role profile say? Obviously there are activities you’ll conduct that aren’t on your role profile but, in general, the profile and your day-to-day activity should align.

To be honest, though, I’d expect a project coordinator on that salary to do the tasks you’ve mentioned. In my organisation, it’s an admin-heavy role and wouldn’t have much decision making power.

Have a one-to-one with your manager to talk about your development and how you can gain the skills you need to get your next role.

I did look at the role profile again recently and while it does mention things like client-facing work and admin, it also talks about coordinating partnerships, contributing to programme development and having oversight of support delivery, which I haven’t really had the chance to do. The way things have been set up, I’ve had to figure everything out alone without much onboarding or guidance and it’s felt quite task-heavy rather than strategic.

I’m definitely planning to raise it in my upcoming probation review - both in terms of clarifying expectations and seeing what development opportunities are actually available, if any. I want to make sure I’m not just treading water.

Could you have a coffee or chat with the others with the same role title, see what their experience is like? Even ask them to be a mentor?

Could be that took them a while to get to the strategic stuff, or they might be able to help with some of the onboarding/guidance. Could just be that your manager is not great, you might be able to find that out if you build some peer networks...

Project coordinator in my organisation is always a general dogsbody to a project manager - so it wouldn’t surprise me. A “senior” one would be more experienced at that. So yes- the PA analogy seems right to me.

Is a role profile a job description?

For 43k it sounds alright?

For the salary and job title itseems about right but only if there's a project manager or lead above you?

Yeah it isn’t a bad salary on paper. But I guess I expected more structure, leadership and strategic involvement as this level, not just a never-ending stream of admin and client logistics with little support or development. It’s not that I think any of the tasks are beneath me, more whether the role is actually aligned with what it was supposed to be. At the moment, it just doesn’t feel like a “coordinator” role in the true sense.

Yeah there is someone above me - a Service Manager - but the issue is less about the title hierarchy and more about the lack of direction and support. She doesn’t even bother to turn up to meetings. I wouldn’t mind the admin-heavy workload if there was consistent leadership, mentoring or even proper onboarding (there was none). At the moment, it feels like I’m expected to operate independently without the structure or guidance that should come from the person leading the service. It’s hard to grow or even feel confident in your role when the basics aren’t in place.

I think you might be misunderstanding the word 'co-ordinator'. In most orgs I'd say this aligns to an 'officer' level role i.e. Not a manager so yes I'd expect it to be more administrative and less strategic. I'd expect the corresponding manager role to be doing more of the strategic side.
Sometimes you have to be careful not to be tripped up by glorified job titles - anything with officer, executive, or coordinator WITHOUT the word manager is not going to be a particularly strategic role in most organisations. The word 'senior' just refers to a more experienced version of the same

That's where the 'senior' bit comes in. You're expected to have a bit of experience to handle the admin stuff without much hand holding from the manager.

The fact that you feel unsupported by her leaving you to it in meetings does rather suggest you aren't ready for the strategic/manager step up to be honest.

I’m wondering if your expectations around the role were a bit unrealistic. I mean this kindly, but I don’t think a role at this level will allow you any strategic involvement or formal leadership (of course you can demonstrate your leadership skills in various ways but it may not be part of your role to do so).

I hear you that you don’t think these tasks are beneath you but you don’t feel they are aligned with your role. It seems like your manager disagrees. Depending on your role profile, your organisation may disagree.

you sound ambitious, which is great, but, if you don’t ’roll your sleeves up’ and get on with your job, you may shoot yourself in the foot when it comes to promotion etc. How you are perceived at work is everything

You've been sold a pig in a poke.

Coordinating partnerships - entering meeting details in your manager's Outlook calendar and making sure there's coffee for in person meetings,

Contributing to programme development - typing and photocopying.

Having oversight of support delivery - ordering photocopier paper and chasing invoices.

They wanted a PA but if the other managers at their level don't have one, all they could get approved was a general admin who they can dump on under the guise of 'taking ownership' - ie, do the admin for what we tell you we are doing.

You absolutely cannot just look at a job title. Utterly meaningless. What is in the job description? What are you contracted to do and does what you’re doing remotely resemble that? That’s where the conversation from.

It doesn’t really matter what your JD says if the tasks are in the realms of covered by it, your manager evidently needs you to do particular work and that’s what you’re getting.

I’d have a chat with your manager and see what’s what, and I’d not leave it until your probation review, address it as early as possible. You want to avoid potentially being held to account against the JD whilst having had no opportunity to demonstrate your ability to do most of the tasks.

In future - I always ask during the interview process what it is that actually needs to be done/ what’s the problem hiring you solves. Rarely does it involve doing what’s on the JD in my experience!

She doesn’t turn up to meetings, and this is not my first senior role. The issue isn’t her “leaving me to it”, I get on with it. The issue is what I’ve described, please do not twist what I’ve said or make me out to be the issue. Read.

This is not my first senior role, kindly do not patronise me. I have raised issues here, I have not had proper onboarding and this woman does not turn up to meetings.

i cannot believe how this is being turned around by you and that other commenter. How is a manager failing to turn up to meetings and failing to provide an induction, a failure of mine?

Surely strategic and delivery focused are opposites?

2 months in a role is not really long enough to be expected to be 'trusted' with the more complex/involved processes, tasks etc.. One can't be 'trusted' (for want of a better word) until you are familiar with the systems, clients, organisational structure etc.. too much risk until the company is confident one is 100% clued up. That being said, I would be pushing the manager for more training tasks etc.. Some are just not bothered and do have to be harangued.. That said bottom line i would say two months is early to assess what the role is/might become... And you'll not want a two month job on your CV...

Your frustration is clearly evident.

Do you have 1-2-1s or check ins or development meetings?

Can you raise it then in a proactive positive/potential to contribute more way rather it's admit heavy and boring?

Agree, it’s similar in my organisation. A project coordinator, senior or otherwise, wouldn’t be doing a strategic or leadership role. However, someone who is experienced enough to have senior in their title would be expected to crack on with minimal to no handholding and certainly not moaning about lack of onboarding and career development (after only 2 months!).

Yes that’s what us sounds like to me. I’m a head of change so I manage project managers and it’s not a role I have in the team. I have an admin person , sounds like that. Are you wanting to be a project manager op?

edited to add - if you are senior then get training from a colleague , your manager wouldn’t train you. That shows your ability to be a self starter. Senior people don’t get a lot of hand holding.

My responses were not intended to be patronising in any way.

You say, this is not my first senior role. This is not a senior role. You’re a project coordinator on £40-odd grand a year. There’s nothing wrong with that but it’s not ‘senior’ in relation to leadership and strategic decision-making that you referred to in an earlier post.

The fact that you don’t ‘get’ that says a lot.

Do your job, do it well, focus on development and you’ll be heading towards a senior role.