A staff development coordinator might direct, administer or supervise the training of employees. Most commonly, the coordinator does all three. He or she is responsible for preparing newly hired employees for their roles in organizations and for developing the skills and efficiency of all current staff. These careers require strong people skills and a dedication to helping both employees and employers achieve their goals.
An effective staff development coordinator must be a talented communicator who is able to express himself or herself and give instruction in a variety of ways and through many mediums. He or she might be required to train large groups of employees at one time, requiring strong public speaking skills, or to work one-on-one guiding a particular member of the staff. Many staff development coordinator job descriptions also include responsibility for written communications such as training manuals, job descriptions and job performance feedback. New technologies are also commonly implemented in training programs and in general communication, so a technologically savvy staff development coordinator will have a distinct career advantage.
It is vital that a staff development coordinator be seen by employees as a resource, rather than an authority figure. One of the staff development coordinator's duties is to foster strong relationships with employees and have an atmosphere of trust in those relationships. To do this, he or she must inspire confidence and meet the particular training needs of each individual with sensitivity and patience. Staff development coordinators also might be responsible for coordinating and directing a team of assistant trainers, which requires strong leadership skills.
Staff development coordinator jobs can be found in almost any kind of organization and within any field — in short, anywhere there are employees who need training. It is vital that a staff development coordinator not only be an able educator but also understand the particular industry and organization in which he or she operates. It is common that a staff development coordinator will have worked within the same organization in another role and reach this position through promotion. This role might have been within the human resources department itself or in another department practicing the skills in which he or she trains others as the development coordinator.
In addition to experience, a staff development coordinator typically will hold a relevant bachelor's degree. This might be an industry-specific degree or one related to human resources and/or other social sciences. Staff development coordinators are in charge of designing and delivering training programs for others and, to do this, they usually are expected to have received an advanced level of formal and practical learning.
