In this study, optimal control of a senior coefficient in a heat conduction problem is discussed. Since such problems are severely ill-posed, it is necessary to regularize them. So, we present the regularization process which has a great importance for a optimal control problem in this study. After proving the existence and uniqueness of optimal solution, a necessary condition for optimality is stated. Then, an iterative algorithm is purposed for numerical approximations. Finally, optimal control has been approximately calculated using the obtained results. The outcomes have also been tested with numerical examples.