Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Document Control Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Document Control Coordinator is the primary owner of document and record management processes within a business unit or project. This role manages document numbering, revision control, issuance and distribution, maintainance of controlled libraries (electronic and/or hard-copy), and ensures documents meet regulatory and internal quality standards (e.g., ISO 9001, FDA, industry-specific regulations). The Coordinator partners with engineering, quality, regulatory, and project teams to process transmittals, coordinate approvals, and support internal/external audits while continuously improving document workflows and metadata consistency.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Document Control Clerk / Document Coordinator
Administrative Assistant with records responsibilities
Quality Technician or Records Specialist

Advancement To:

Senior Document Control Coordinator
Document Control Supervisor / Team Lead
Quality Systems Specialist / Quality Manager
Records Manager / Configuration Manager

Lateral Moves:

Quality Assurance / Quality Control roles
Regulatory Affairs Coordinator
Project Document Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Maintain full lifecycle control for controlled documents and records — including creation, naming/numbering, revision control, approval routing, issuance/distribution, archival and final disposition — ensuring every document is traceable and auditable.
Operate, configure and maintain the organization’s Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) such as SharePoint, Aconex, MasterControl, OpenText or Documentum: upload documents, apply metadata, set permissions, and ensure system folder structure and indexes follow company policies.
Enforce document control procedures and work instructions: verify that each submission includes required metadata, signatures, revision history, approval stamps, and that obsolete copies are clearly marked or removed from circulation.
Receive, log, and track incoming and outgoing transmittals and correspondence; prepare and issue formal transmittal records and maintain the transmittal register with accurate status updates.
Assign and maintain document numbers and revision identifiers in accordance with established document numbering conventions and configuration management rules.
Coordinate review and approval cycles by distributing documents to reviewers, monitoring review deadlines, escalating delays, and ensuring approval signatures (electronic or handwritten) are captured and archived.
Maintain and reconcile controlled hard-copy and electronic libraries; ensure distribution of current controlled copies to stakeholders and retrieval/secure destruction of superseded versions.
Execute document change requests (DCRs), engineering change orders (ECOs), and revision processing: update records, document the reason for change, and support cross-functional approval routing.
Prepare and package document submittals for regulatory bodies, clients, and third parties; ensure all supporting documentation and attestations meet the submission requirements.
Support internal and external audits by retrieving requested controlled documents, providing audit trails and revision histories, and demonstrating compliance to document control processes and retention policies.
Implement and maintain records retention schedules; archive records per retention policy and legal/regulatory requirements, including the secure disposition of records at end-of-life.
Create and maintain document templates, controlled forms, SOPs and standard naming conventions to ensure consistency and reduce rework across the organization.
Perform periodic document reviews and quality checks (e.g., completeness, metadata accuracy, versioning) to ensure integrity of document repositories and to detect and correct non-conforming records.
Generate and distribute management and performance reports: document status, outstanding approvals, overdue transmittals, EDMS usage metrics and KPIs for stakeholders and process owners.
Serve as the point-of-contact for document control inquiries from engineering, manufacturing, quality, regulatory, procurement, and external clients; respond to requests for controlled copies and clarifications promptly.
Support the onboarding and training of staff on document control processes, EDMS usage, and document submission requirements to ensure consistent adherence to procedures.
Maintain confidentiality and security of sensitive technical, commercial and personnel documents; apply appropriate access controls and encryption where required.
Reconcile and import documents and drawing packages from external partners and contractors, validate completeness against submission checklists, and integrate them into the internal EDMS with appropriate metadata.
Coordinate with configuration management, project controls and quality teams to ensure alignment between document control activities and project timelines, deliverables, and change control.
Troubleshoot EDMS access, permissions, and metadata issues and liaise with IT to resolve system incidents, patch management and upgrades that impact document workflows.
Administer electronic signatures and digital approval workflows; ensure compliance with electronic records and signature policies (e.g., 21 CFR Part 11 where applicable).
Control distribution of standard operating procedures, quality records, product specifications and work instructions to affected departments; ensure that obsolete procedures are superseded and withdrawn.
Assist with the development and continuous improvement of document control policies and process improvements to reduce bottlenecks, improve searchability, and increase accuracy of document metadata.
Track and manage document-related non-conformances, corrective actions and preventative actions (CAPAs) that impact controlled documents or records.

Secondary Functions

Participate in project kickoff and status meetings to advise on document deliverables, transmittal schedules and approval roadmaps.
Support departmental records inventory, scanning/OCR initiatives and digital transformation projects to migrate legacy paper records into the EDMS.
Help create user guides, quick reference sheets and training materials for EDMS users and new hires.
Provide backup support for related administrative tasks such as mailings, logbooks, and departmental filing when required.
Collaborate with legal, procurement and external vendors to execute document exchanges, NDAs and contract record management.
Assist in periodic internal readiness checks for certification or regulatory inspections (e.g., ISO 9001 surveillance, client audits).
Maintain key performance indicators (KPIs) for document control efficiency and propose improvements based on trend analysis and feedback.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS): practical experience with SharePoint, Aconex, MasterControl, OpenText, Documentum or similar systems.
Version and revision control expertise including document numbering schemes, revision logs and change histories.
Strong MS Office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and experience preparing controlled templates, transmittals and technical registers.
PDF and document preparation tools: Adobe Acrobat (redaction, bookmarking, PDF/A), scanning and OCR utilities.
Records retention and archiving knowledge — ability to apply retention schedules and legal/regulatory holds.
Knowledge of quality management systems and standards (ISO 9001, AS9100) and how document control supports compliance.
Electronic signature/digital workflow platforms (e.g., DocuSign, Adobe Sign) and understanding of electronic records compliance (e.g., 21 CFR Part 11 considerations if applicable).
Experience with drawing control and engineering drawing registers (for technical or manufacturing environments).
Basic database/querying skills or ability to extract EDMS reports and reconcile metadata, counts and user access logs.
Familiarity with regulatory submission formats and document packages for clients, regulators and third parties (e.g., submission checklists).
Familiarity with configuration management processes and integration with document control.
Knowledge of privacy and data security practices for handling confidential documents.

Soft Skills

Exceptional attention to detail and a consistent focus on accuracy and completeness.
Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
Clear written and verbal communication skills to liaise with engineering, quality, regulatory, suppliers and clients.
Customer-service orientation — responsive and proactive in fulfilling document requests and resolving issues.
Problem-solving and analytical mindset for diagnosing metadata, permission and process issues.
Team player who collaborates across functions and supports continuous process improvement.
Discretion and integrity in handling sensitive and confidential records.
Ability to train and support users with patience and clarity.
Adaptability and resilience in dynamic project environments with changing deliverables.
Detail-oriented leadership for coordinating review cycles and escalating blockers when necessary.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent; combination of education and relevant work experience acceptable.

Preferred Education:

Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Information Management, Records Management, Library Science, Engineering, Quality Management or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Records Management / Archival Science
Quality Systems / Quality Assurance
Information Technology / Information Management
Engineering or Technical discipline (for technical drawing/document control)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–5 years of document control, records management, quality administration, or EDMS administration.

Preferred: 3+ years of hands-on experience managing controlled documents in regulated or technical industries (manufacturing, construction, engineering, pharma/biotech, aerospace), demonstrated experience with an EDMS and knowledge of ISO or regulatory document requirements.