What Does a Document Coordinator Do?

A document coordinator is a business professional who aids in the proper cataloging and filing of various types of business-related documents. Those documents may include invoices, client correspondence, internal memos and proprietary documents, and even receipts related to the accounts receivables or payables. Along with organizing documents for storage and easy retrieval, a document coordinator may also work closely with others in the company to aid in the assembly of new documents, such as proposals that are being prepared for consideration by prospective clients.

The general responsibilities require a thorough knowledge and understanding of the filing systems used in the workplace. This includes both the methodologies used to organize and file hard copies of key documents, but also how to go about organizing electronic documents in some sort of virtual repository, such as in protected files housed on a server. To this end, the coordinator must have the ability to logically organize the data so that all documents can be retrieved when and as necessary.

Other tasks associated with the work of a document coordinator may involve coding and cross-referencing documents as well as filing them in specific sequences and logical arrangements. In some cases, the coordinator will also be responsible for managing queries about data that is found within the documents and being able to retrieve the correct document or set of documents upon demand. Maintaining a master inventory of which documents are contained within that inventory, and where they can be found, is also a task commonly assigned to a document coordinator.

Since a document coordinator may come in contact with electronic and hard copy documents that contain proprietary or confidential information, the security clearance for this type of work is often quite high. This takes the function of the coordinator somewhat beyond the realm of a file clerk, who may be entrusted to file documents that are not considered to be confidential in nature. It is not unusual for individuals such as executive administrators to function as coordinators, creating and maintaining filing systems especially for the executives they work with closely.

Training for work as a document coordinator varies, depending on the scope of responsibilities that the employer chooses to associate with the position. In some cases, basic office skills, such as a working knowledge of using computers, how to file documents using a standard filing system, and the ability to assimilate and effectively follow an existing filing strategy, are sufficient. An aptitude for organization and logical thinking is also very helpful in pursuing this type of work.