If you have ever sat on hold during a move and wondered who was actually running it, the answer is the move coordinator. A move coordinator job description reads like logistics on paper: schedules, paperwork, crews, trucks. In practice the role is closer to air traffic control for one family's entire household, and it is one of the better doors into our industry.

We are always hiring people who like solving puzzles under a deadline. This post walks through a real day, the duties, how domestic and international work differ, what the job pays, and how to get hired. If it sounds like you, our careers page lists what is open.

A Day in the Life of a Move Coordinator

Mornings start with the board. Which crews are on which jobs, which trucks are loading, which deliveries land today, and what changed overnight. An elevator reservation fell through. A customer found six more boxes in the garage. Somebody's closing date moved up by two days.

Then the phone. A coordinator might spend an hour with a customer who has never moved before and is mostly worried about the piano, followed by twenty minutes with a crew lead who is stuck behind a loading dock that is too low for the truck. Calls like these are why we give customers a single point of contact from start to finish.

Afternoons are for the work that keeps tomorrow from going sideways: confirming arrival windows, updating the customer portal, checking that a survey was written up correctly, and chasing the one signature that is missing. Most days end with a short list of what to watch overnight.

Duties and Responsibilities

The title sounds administrative, and parts of it are. Much of the job is judgment. A coordinator typically handles the following.

• Intake. The first call, the questions about dates, inventory, access and special items, and the free in-home or virtual survey that follows.
• Planning. Matching the estimate to crews, packers, trucks and dates, and noting stairs, long carries or narrow streets that affect time.
• Paperwork. Order for service, inventory, valuation choices and the documents a customer signs. For interstate household goods moves, federal rules require the mover to give customers FMCSA's Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move booklet, so a coordinator needs to know it well.
• Communication. Check-ins before packing, on loading day, in transit and on delivery, so nobody has to wonder where their belongings are.
• Problem solving. A crew runs late, a delivery address changes, an item is too big for the stairwell. The coordinator finds the fix and tells everyone.
• Follow up. Questions after delivery, and if something was damaged, guiding the customer through a claim. Our guide to fair market value and like-in-kind shows what that conversation involves.

Coordinators also learn to read a survey. If it says three bedrooms but the photos show a full basement workshop, they ask before the truck is booked, not after.

Domestic Coordinator vs International Counselor

Both roles run a file from first call to delivery, but the file looks different. A domestic coordinator works with trucks and crews, mostly inside the United States, whether the move is local or long distance. Timing is measured in days and the main variables are routes, crews and access.

An international counselor works with ocean and air shipments, customs paperwork, export packing, port schedules and partners overseas. Timelines stretch into weeks, and a missing document can hold a container at a port. Customers ask different questions, too, about what they may bring into a country and how long goods will be in transit. Our international moves team follows international standards such as FIDI-FAIM, which shapes how that work is documented.

Plenty of people begin on the domestic side and move across once they know how a shipment flows. The reverse is rarer, because the international paperwork takes time to learn.

What the Job Pays

We don't publish pay ranges for individual roles, and pay at any employer depends on location, experience and the scope of the position, so check each posting. For context, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track move coordinators as their own category. The closest match is cargo and freight agents, who arrange and route shipments and prepare shipping documents. In May 2023 BLS data, their median annual wage was $48,330, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $36,520 and the highest 10 percent more than $72,820.

Treat that as a rough guide, not a promise of what any one role pays. Local pay, experience and the complexity of the files you handle all move the number.

How to Get Hired

You do not need a logistics degree to start. What we look for is steadiness, clear writing, and comfort on the phone with someone who is having a stressful week.

• Customer service experience. Hospitality, retail, healthcare scheduling and call centers all build the right habits.
• Organization. Be ready to describe how you track several moving pieces at once.
• Curiosity about the work. Ask a mover or crew lead what makes a job hard. People who already understand the field stand out.
• Plain, accurate communication. Spelling and numbers matter. A wrong date on a form becomes a wrong truck on the street.

Once hired, you learn the systems and the customers' questions alongside people who have done it for years. Our wider team includes hundreds of employees, and we value people who grow with us.

Talk to Interstate About a Career in Moving

Our founders began with one truck and a dolly in 1943, and courtesy, respect, integrity, professionalism and value still guide the work. If you want to be the person customers call and trust, see the open roles and apply. Planning a move yourself? Get a quote and meet your coordinator.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a move coordinator do?

A move coordinator runs the logistics of a customer's move from first call to delivery. That includes taking the inventory details, scheduling the survey, matching crews and trucks to the date, handling paperwork, keeping the customer updated, and solving problems as they come up. Many also help with claims after delivery when something is damaged.

How much does a move coordinator make?

It varies by employer, location and experience. BLS does not list the job separately, but its closest category, cargo and freight agents, had a May 2023 national median of $48,330. Individual postings are the most reliable source, since pay shifts with the scope of the role and whether it includes international work.

Do you need a degree to become a move coordinator?

Usually not. Employers tend to value customer service experience, organization, clear communication and comfort with scheduling software more than a specific degree. Experience in hospitality, healthcare scheduling, dispatch or retail transfers well. Knowing how the moving industry works is a bonus you can pick up on the job.

Is a move coordinator the same as a relocation specialist?

The titles overlap and companies use them differently. At Interstate, a single dedicated coordinator or relocation specialist is the customer's point of contact from start to finish. Some employers use relocation specialist for corporate or international work and move coordinator for residential files, so read the posting's duties.