EDI Coordinator

An EDI coordinator is a critical position for many companies that use EDI.  The position can be an individual role or it can be merged with additional duties that may be specific to managing and maintaining the EDI infrastructure or with additional IT duties.  Regardless of the additional responsibilities, the EDI coordinator can be expected to be responsible for a number of EDI related tasks and activities.  The EDI coordinator is often a critical role in the organization since this is the person that is chiefly responsible for ensuring that the company's EDI system is performing as expected and without errors.  The EDI coordinator often has to have some programming skills and can be expected to be very technical in nature.  Depending on the infrastructure the company has deployed, the EDI coordinator may also need to have experience with the back-end system (ERP, Accounting etc.) that the company is using.

General Duties of the EDI coordinator

The EDI coordinator will perform a number of varied duties depending on the size of the organization and the extent of EDI use.  Regardless of size however there are a number of common responsibilities that any EDI coordinator will need to perform:

Collect, Review and Input data
In this role the EDI coordinator is responsible for ensuring that data is being inputed into the EDI system properly.  In manual environments this may mean actually collecting data to be transmitted by EDI and keying it into the EDI system, in an automated environment it may mean simply ensuring that data is being correctly sent to the EDI system without errors.

Audit Output Data, Identify and Resolve Problems
This aspect of the EDI coordinator job involves identifying what kind of data is being sent by the EDI system and ensuring that no errors are being created.  In the event that errors in output are identified, the EDI coordinator will need to identify the problems and ensure they are resolved promptly.

Other Duties of an EDI Coordinator

Beyond the duties listed above, the EDI coordinator might also be responsible for working in conjunction with other members of the IT staff to ensure the EDI system is properly maintained.  This could include planning and performing system backups, working with IT in identifying potential system upgrades and planning and implementing those upgrades to ensure the company is effectively using its EDI systems. 

Role in Long Term Planning for an EDI Coordinator

The EDI coordinator can be a critical aid in planning your long term use of EDI.  The EDI coordinator will have invaluable insight into how your EDI software is being used and what could be done in getting more from your EDI system.  The EDI coordinator should be included in any software upgrade planning and in selecting potential new vendors.  As you begin to plan your long term use of EDI getting the best possible advice from your in-house talent is critical.  To that end, involving your coordinator in your planning and decision making process can only lead to a better and more profitable use of EDI for your organization.