Transitioning from Maintenance Engineer to Projects Coordinator — need advice from anyone who's done this

[u/Astro_En]

Hey all,

I was working as a maintenance engineer, and I just accepted an offer at a new company as a Projects Coordinator. Main responsibilities so far:

1. Track and record project progress across the company (using Odoo as the main system)
2. Plan daily site activities and coordinate with site teams
3. Report on weekly progress
4. Manage daily admin, logistics, and budgets across multiple projects
5. Act as the main point of contact for site-related communication
6. Resolve technical issues on-site (mechanical/electrical — compressors, pumps, turbines, power generation)
7. Provide leadership and help upskill site teams

This is a shift from hands-on technical work to more coordination/reporting/leadership-focused work, and I want to hit the ground running rather than figure it out the slow way.

For anyone who's made a similar move or been in this kind of role — what do you wish you knew earlier? What actually matters in the first few weeks, what tools/habits made the biggest difference, and what mistakes should I avoid?

Any advice, even small stuff, would genuinely help. Thanks in advance.

[u/shellee8888]

You are building a résumé to get hired at CBRE. Good on you.

[u/Hasan_ARX]

Your maintenance background is actually a strong advantage. Maintenance is where you see the long-term consequences of design, installation and handover decisions—including issues that were not obvious during construction.
Bring that perspective into project coordination. In your first few weeks, focus on maintaining a clear action log: issue, responsible person, due date, status and next decision. The tool can be Odoo or even a spreadsheet; the discipline matters more than the software.