Job Title : Manager or Manager/Coordinator

[LouLou]

Hi,
new to forum and HR and I am looking for some feedback on a Job title issue. A resource manager where I work wants to give someone a job title of xxxxxxx Manager/coordinator. I don't understand why they are not just xxxxxxx Manager. Any ideas on what is the point of "Manager/coordinator". Doesn't a Manager also coordinate ?

Appreciate your help and if you have any articles I can use to backup my argument, that would be appreciated.
Thanks

[Job Media]

Hi LouLou,
We operate a number of job boards, including Jobs in HR - we see lots of jobs using the word 'coordinator' in the title, particularly HR Coordinator.

In the private sector a HR Coordinator is usually a relatively junior role, it is often used interchangeably with HR Administrator. However in the public sector a HR Coordinator is often quite a senior role, with considerable responsibility, possibly equivalent to a HR Manager. So "Coordinator" is quite an ambiguous term. If we receive a Coordinator job from a public sector customer we usually append "(Senior role)" to the job title.

The title "Manager/Coordinator" may be intended to convey they same, and may be designed to appeal to both public and private sector candidates. It is however still somewhat ambiguous in our opinion.

[Tiger]

Agree with Job Media. In my corporate life, I always gave the junior (least experience so usually young but might have a TAFE or undergraduate degree) on my team, the title of HR Coordinator because that is more or less what that the job did, coordinating various elements for the HR Advisors and Manager/Senior Manager/Director. In a blue collar environment, the title "Coordinator" might signal some team leader requirements thus attracting a slightly higher pay rate than that job's team mates.
The title "Manager" means the job has more responsibilities and is paid accordingly but importantly such a job title signifies people management responsibilities. Having said that I am aware that in a lot of organizations, decision makers often pull a job title from a hat just to appease someone because it sounds important and maybe they can't afford to pay a lot of money so employee has some prestige instead..... I don't agree with that but it happens.
To your question, frankly I think calling a job a Manager/Coordinator is ridiculous and sends entirely the wrong message as to what the job is about.
Try googling "difference between job titles manager and coordinator" and you will get a whole slew of further opinions on this. Be mindful however that some of them are USA based. Still you might find something "in writing" which helps.
Tiger

[LouLou]

Thanks for the replies.

I have no problem with using Manager/Coordinator in Job advertisements however I am very concerned with using Manager/Coordinator in a job title for two reasons;
1. It makes the Job title even longer and more unwieldy when added to the already long actual Job Title (the xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx part)
2. It is ridiculous when introducing someone e.g. This is john Smith, he is the xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx manager slash coordinator.