How To Become A Change Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a change manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Much like the name implies, a Change Manager is tasked with organizing, tracking, and suggesting the changes in which the implementation of the company's structure is necessary for higher efficiency and profit. They are meant to make these processes as effective and efficient as possible.

Like many others, this role is versatile, both in how they work and where they work. They may need to cooperate with several other departments within one company, act as advisors and consultants to a particular institution for years. During that time, they may be tasked with analyzing the various processes and pieces of the organization. Or they may work more in a freelancer style, hopping from one employer to another and offering their expertise as needed.

A potential candidate for this position is generally asked to have at least a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Management or a similar field of study. Some employers may even ask for a Master's degree or years of experience.

ScoreChange ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.5

Avg. Salary $96,652

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.21%

Asian 12.61%

Black or African American 6.77%

Hispanic or Latino 10.16%

Unknown 5.21%

White 65.05%

Gender

female 43.27%

male 56.73%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a change manager

Explore change manager education requirements

Most common change manager degrees

Bachelor's

67.1 %

Master's

20.0 %

Associate

8.2 %

Start to develop specific change manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Project Management	11.22%
Organizational Change Management	8.73%
Portfolio	6.06%
Governance	5.63%
Client Facing	4.69%

Complete relevant change manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New change managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a change manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real change manager resumes.

Gain additional change manager certifications

Change manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific change manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for change managers include IT Information Library Foundations Certification (ITIL) and Project Management Professional (PMP).

More About Certifications

Research change manager duties and responsibilities

Implement and manage network installations and design for ShoretTel VoIP telephone systems and upgrades to cabling for VoIP requirements.
Manage and maintain workflows for this CRM as well as the enterprise wide web-base work ticket solution (RedMine).
Manage SharePoint server configuration list.
Manage expenditures and all project budgets within the portfolio including monthly forecasting.

Prepare your change manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your change manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a change manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable change manager resume templates

Build a professional change manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your change manager resume.