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

Q: How long does it take to become a communications manager?

It takes about five to ten years of work experience to become a communications manager. This is typically in addition to a bachelor's degree, usually in journalism or communications. Communications managers typically need at least a bachelor's degree, but many have master's degrees. Usually, these degrees are in journalism, marketing, or communications. However, other common degree programs are psychology or business management.

Q: How much do marketing communications managers make?

Marketing communications managers make an average salary of around $80,000 in a year. This varies somewhat between the top earners and the bottom 25 percent. Top earning marketing communications managers earn around $125,000 in a year.

Q: What degree do I need to be a communications manager?

You need a bachelor's degree in communications or public relations to be a communications manager. Other common areas to major in are marketing, journalism, psychology, or advertising degrees.

Q: What qualifications do you need to work in communications?

The minimum qualifications to work in communications is a bachelor's degree in communications or a related field. They must also have a lot of experience in conveying messages using different mediums while also being able to deal with urgent and crisis situations.

Q: What skills does a communication manager need?

The most important skills for a communications manager are excellent verbal and written communications skills. Unsurprisingly, a communications manager must be an expert communicator, not just for their work but also to run their team well.

What is a communications manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Mike Bromberg,

Kerem Cakirer Ph.D.

A communications manager handles a company's communications strategy and ensures that messaging appears consistent and effective. They work to build relationships with customers, employees, and the media. Communications managers may also oversee marketing efforts, manage social media accounts, and coordinate events and public relations campaigns. They must have strong writing, creativity, and interpersonal skills. The role requires organization and attention to detail, as well as the ability to adapt to changing priorities and communicate effectively.

What general advice would you give to a communications manager?

Mike Bromberg

Assistant Professor, East-West University

There are many great careers out there that can be attained as a result of getting a degree in English. One great example is the fact that many companies find that it's a necessity to develop and maintain their social media presence. They look for Communications Coordinators, social media managers, and media directors to make sure their materials, themes, and messages are organized and broadcasted efficiently and appropriately. Some people go on to graduate programs such as law school, as English courses engage heavily with reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.

ScoreCommunications ManagerUS Average

Salary

6.4

Avg. Salary $81,304

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.7

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.42%

Asian 5.13%

Black or African American 6.03%

Hispanic or Latino 9.17%

Unknown 4.67%

White 74.58%

Gender

female 65.06%

male 34.94%

Age - 41

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 - 41

Stress level

8.7

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.3

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a communications manager?

Pros

Exposure to different industries and sectors
Potential for career growth and advancement
Ability to make a significant impact on the organization's reputation and brand image
Collaborative work environment with cross-functional teams
Often a high salary and comprehensive benefits package

Cons

High-pressure job with tight deadlines
Long working hours, including evenings and weekends
High-stress environment, due to the nature of crisis communications
Heavy workload, which can lead to burnout
Need to be available 24/7 in case of emergency situations

Key steps to become a communications manager

Explore communications manager education requirements

Most common communications manager degrees

Bachelor's

70.0 %

Master's

11.8 %

Associate

10.6 %

Start to develop specific communications manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	15.58%
Property Management	9.18%
Yardi	5.45%
Project Management	4.82%
Press Releases	3.98%

Complete relevant communications manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New communications 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 communications manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real communications manager resumes.

Research communications manager duties and responsibilities

Co-administered sales campaigns in Salesforce, CRM to efficiently manage sales productivity of communication and leads.
Lead and manage marketing department's copywriting and editing team and develop many aspects of corporate communication.
Manage creative agency relationships and lead execution of commercial excellence awards program, Americas mid-year growth summit and kick-off meetings.
Manage all Medicaid paperwork, manage staff payroll, client attendance.

Prepare your communications manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your communications 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 communications 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 communications manager resume templates

Build a professional communications 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 communications manager resume.

Apply for communications manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a communications manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first communications manager job

Jason Penny

Communications Manager

My path to communications manager began in 2002 when I was stationed at a military entrance processing station in Sacramento, California. I had been in the Navy for 12 years at that point and wanted a career change. Up to that point I had worked as an aircraft electrician, but I felt my interest in that had run its course. I had the opportunity to become a Navy Journalist, so I took it.

Over the next twelve years I performed multiple roles in the Navy public affairs community. I ran a radio station in Iceland. I served as the public affairs officer for the Navy recruiting district in Los Angeles during the height of the Iraq war. I made two deployments on a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and later served on an admiral’s staff during the earthquake and nuclear disaster in Japan. My first job after leaving the navy was as the spokesperson for the Tampa fire department.

In each of those roles I had to learn about the organization I represented and be able to speak competently to the media and the public when they had questions. I have a knack for it because I always enjoy learning something new. That’s how I became a communications manager.

How do communications managers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Communications manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

People relations Results behavioural change

Cons

marketing especially retailing products and or fundraising

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2019

Pros

I like to tell tell people that a be manager a room to maltreat people under you. Also like been humble even though I am heading people because they can contribute ideas that makes you Excel in your position

What is a communications manager and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a communications manager?

What are the pros and cons of being a communications manager?

Communications manager career paths

Key steps to become a communications manager

Explore communications manager education requirements

Most common communications manager degrees

Start to develop specific communications manager skills

Complete relevant communications manager training and internships

Research communications manager duties and responsibilities

Prepare your communications manager resume

Choose from 10+ customizable communications manager resume templates

Apply for communications manager jobs

How did you land your first communications manager job

Average communications manager salary

How do communications managers rate their job?

Communications manager reviews

Communications manager FAQs

How long does it take to become a communications manager?

How much do marketing communications managers make?

What degree do I need to be a communications manager?

What qualifications do you need to work in communications?

What skills does a communication manager need?

Search for communications manager jobs

Communications manager jobs by state