Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for IT Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The IT Coordinator is a hands-on technical and organizational role responsible for coordinating daily IT operations, supporting end users, maintaining infrastructure, managing IT assets and vendors, and executing projects that keep systems secure, available and aligned with business needs. This role requires strong technical skills (Windows, macOS, Office 365/Azure AD, networking), proven ticketing and incident management experience, and the ability to coordinate cross-functional projects and vendor relationships. The IT Coordinator acts as the operational glue between helpdesk technicians, system administrators, vendors, and business stakeholders.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Help Desk Technician / Desktop Support Technician
Junior Systems Administrator
IT Support Specialist

Advancement To:

Senior Systems Administrator
IT Manager / Infrastructure Manager
IT Project Manager

Lateral Moves:

Network Administrator
Endpoint Management / Devices Administrator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Serve as the primary coordinator for daily IT operations, triaging inbound support requests, prioritizing incidents, and ensuring timely resolution using the organization's ticketing system (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira Service Desk, Zendesk).
Provide advanced desktop and application support for Windows and macOS environments, including troubleshooting OS issues, software installation, patching, and performance optimization for end users.
Administer user accounts and access control across Office 365 / Microsoft 365, Azure AD, Active Directory, and related identity services including provisioning, deprovisioning, group membership, and password reset processes.
Maintain and monitor LAN/WAN connectivity, perform basic network troubleshooting (switches, VLANs, Wi-Fi controllers, and access points), and coordinate with network engineers or ISPs for escalated outages and capacity planning.
Manage and maintain endpoint management solutions (Intune, JAMF, SCCM/ConfigMgr), including device enrollment, device policy configuration, remote support, and lifecycle updates for desktops, laptops and mobile devices.
Oversee IT asset management and inventory lifecycle: procurement coordination, asset tagging, warranty tracking, hardware refresh planning, and disposal in line with company policy and compliance requirements.
Coordinate and execute software license management: track entitlements, renewals, compliance audits, and optimize license usage for major applications (MS Office, productivity suites, security tools).
Implement and maintain backup and recovery procedures for workstations, servers, and critical data stores; test restore procedures regularly and participate in disaster recovery planning and tabletop exercises.
Support and maintain on-premises and cloud-hosted servers (Windows Server, Linux fundamentals), virtualization platforms (VMware, Hyper-V), and cloud instances (Azure, AWS) under guidance of senior admins.
Maintain and improve IT documentation, runbooks, run charts and knowledge base articles for end-users and IT staff to standardize operations and reduce mean time to resolution (MTTR).
Manage vendor and third-party relationships: procure services, coordinate support escalations, negotiate SLAs, monitor vendor performance, and act as the main point of contact for hardware and software suppliers.
Monitor IT security controls and basic cybersecurity hygiene: apply OS and application patches, assist with endpoint protection (EDR/AV), implement MFA, and escalate identified vulnerabilities to security owners.
Conduct onboarding and offboarding for employees: provision devices, set up user accounts, grant role-based access, perform exit steps including device retrieval and account deactivation to secure company assets and data.
Coordinate cross-functional IT projects such as office moves, network upgrades, Wi-Fi rollouts, and unified communications deployments; develop project timelines, resource plans, and communicate status to stakeholders.
Manage telephony and collaboration systems (VoIP, Microsoft Teams, Zoom), including user setup, troubleshooting call quality, and working with carriers for provisioning and outages.
Configure and support print services and networked peripherals, maintaining print queues, drivers, permissions, and multisite printer deployments.
Perform routine systems monitoring, review logs, build alerts for critical services, and escalate incidents for rapid remediation while maintaining incident records for post-incident review.
Ensure IT policies and procedures are followed: data privacy, acceptable use, password policy, and hardware/software usage; support security awareness and compliance initiatives across the organization.
Prepare regular operational and performance reports for IT leadership, including ticket metrics, system availability, asset utilization, and project progress to inform continuous improvement.
Provide in-person and remote training sessions and user guides for common tools and workflows to increase adoption and reduce support demand.
Coordinate and validate hardware and software deployments, staging devices, imaging or provisioning standards, and verifying post-deployment functionality prior to handoff to users.
Assist with budgeting and cost tracking for IT purchases and service contracts; provide forecasting input for refresh cycles and small capital projects.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and basic reporting using ITSM and asset management data to inform decisions on capacity and licensing.
Contribute to the organization's IT strategy and roadmap by providing operational insight into recurring incidents, asset trends, and user needs.
Collaborate with business units to translate technical requirements into clear implementation steps and maintenance plans.
Participate in sprint planning, agile ceremonies, or weekly IT planning meetings to align operations with project delivery and continuous improvement initiatives.
Act as liaison during audits (internal or external) by compiling requested IT evidence, documenting access controls and change logs, and ensuring timely remediation of findings.
Proactively identify process improvements, automation opportunities (scripting, bulk provisioning), and small-scale tooling that reduce repetitive tasks and increase team efficiency.
Assist security and compliance teams with evidence collection for SOC, ISO or HIPAA readiness checks (as applicable), including user access reviews and asset inventories.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Windows Desktop and Server Administration — user support, OS troubleshooting, patch management and Group Policy basics.
macOS Support & Endpoint Management — experience with JAMF or similar MDM solutions for Apple devices.
Microsoft 365 / Office 365 & Azure AD — account lifecycle, Exchange Online, Teams administration, SharePoint basic support.
Active Directory — user provisioning, group policy, OU structure, and account management.
Endpoint Management Tools — Microsoft Intune, SCCM/ConfigMgr, or equivalent for policy deployment and patching.
Networking Fundamentals — TCP/IP, DHCP, DNS, VLANs, Wi‑Fi troubleshooting, and basic switch/router administration.
Ticketing & ITSM Platforms — ServiceNow, Jira Service Desk, Zendesk, or Freshservice for incident, change and problem management.
Backup & Disaster Recovery — familiarity with backup tools (Veeam, Acronis, Azure Backup) and recovery procedures.
Virtualization & Cloud Basics — VMware/Hyper-V and cloud platform familiarity (Azure or AWS) for supporting hybrid infrastructure.
Security Controls & Tools — EDR/AV basics, MFA implementation, patching standards, and incident escalation processes.
Scripting & Automation (desirable) — PowerShell or Bash for automation of routine administrative tasks.
VoIP & Collaboration Systems — administration and troubleshooting of Teams, Zoom, or SIP-based phone systems.
Asset Management & Procurement — lifecycle tracking, vendor coordination, warranty claims, and procurement workflows.
Logging & Monitoring — basic use of monitoring tools and log review for proactive incident detection.

Soft Skills

Strong communicator: able to translate technical details into clear, business-oriented language for stakeholders and end users.
Customer service orientation: patient, empathetic, and solution-focused when supporting non-technical staff.
Organization and prioritization: manage multiple concurrent incidents, projects and procurement tasks with tight deadlines.
Problem-solving mindset: analytical approach to root cause analysis and proactive remediation.
Collaboration and teamwork: work effectively across IT teams, vendors, and business units to deliver results.
Attention to detail: precise documentation, change records, and asset tracking to support audits and regulatory needs.
Adaptability: comfortable in fast-paced or changing environments and learning new tools and processes quickly.
Project coordination skills: able to prepare timelines, track milestones, and communicate status to technical and non-technical audiences.
Discretion and data privacy awareness: handle sensitive information with confidentiality and adhere to compliance requirements.
Time management: self-driven to complete routine maintenance, support requests and project tasks with minimal supervision.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Management Information Systems, or a related discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Information Technology
Computer Science
Management Information Systems
Network Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years of IT support, systems administration, or helpdesk experience in a corporate environment.

Preferred:

3+ years coordinating IT operations with demonstrable experience in desktop support, Active Directory, Office 365 administration, and basic networking.
Experience with ITSM processes and one or more ticketing platforms (ServiceNow, Jira Service Desk, Zendesk).
Prior exposure to cloud services (Azure or AWS), endpoint management (Intune/JAMF/SCCM), and vendor management.
Certifications such as CompTIA A+/Network+/Security+, Microsoft 365 Certified, or similar are advantageous.