Post job

How to hire a communications/outreach manager

Communications/outreach manager hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring communications/outreach managers in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a communications/outreach manager is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new communications/outreach manager to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a communications/outreach manager, step by step

To hire a communications/outreach manager, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a communications/outreach manager:

Here's a step-by-step communications/outreach manager hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a communications/outreach manager job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new communications/outreach manager
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a communications/outreach manager do?

A communications/outreach manager oversees the communication and outreach programs of a company, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They are responsible for developing communication plans and strategies to raise brand awareness and public interest, creating communication materials such as press releases and newsletters, and maintaining positive relationships with internal and external parties such as the media. Moreover, as a communications/outreach manager, they also have the responsibility to manage staff, set goals and guidelines, monitor operations, and solve issues and concerns should any arise.

Learn more about the specifics of what a communications/outreach manager does
jobs
Post a communications/outreach manager job for free, promote it for a fee
  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you start hiring a communications/outreach manager, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    A communications/outreach manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, communications/outreach managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

    This list shows salaries for various types of communications/outreach managers.

    Type of Communications/Outreach ManagerDescriptionHourly rate
    Communications/Outreach ManagerSocial and community service managers coordinate and supervise social service programs and community organizations. They manage staff who provide social services to the public.$21-41
    Director Of Social ServicesA director of social services or social services director is an individual who works with the community to identify the suitable programs and services. Social services directors provide overall leadership for certain departments within organizations... Show more$19-38
    Program OfficerA program officer is an essential part of a foundation or charitable organization. It is up to program officers to supervise program progress and proposals, seek grants, manage projects, and oversee budgets... Show more$25-56
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Patients
    • Project Management
    • Community Health
    • Community Events
    • Community Engagement
    • Outreach Events
    • Community Organizations
    • Local Community
    • Mental Health
    • Outreach Program
    • Community Agencies
    • Social Work
    • Education Programs
    • Health Education
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage HIV prevention/support program staff and specific project consultants, including group level, community/outreach interventions and counseling and testing.
    • Initiate relationships with community service providers and patients.
    • Collect demographic information on patients and referral sources and compile statistical information.
    • Conduct on-site service visits in order to resolve issues, educate staff/providers on Medicaid member enrollment process and provider credentialing process.
    • Select materials for posting on website and Facebook page.
    • Provide information to the public through a social media campaign using Facebook, MySpace, and online advertising.
    More communications/outreach manager duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in the communications/outreach manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A communications/outreach manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

    For example, the average salary for a communications/outreach manager in Alabama may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level communications/outreach manager. Additionally, a communications/outreach manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

    Average communications/outreach manager salary

    $62,029yearly

    $29.82 hourly rate

    Entry-level communications/outreach manager salary
    $44,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 21, 2025

    Average communications/outreach manager salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1New Jersey$84,342$41
    2Virginia$79,720$38
    3District of Columbia$77,772$37
    4California$73,845$36
    5Massachusetts$72,581$35
    6Illinois$70,980$34
    7New York$69,526$33
    8Colorado$67,763$33
    9Maryland$67,606$33
    10Washington$64,247$31
    11Minnesota$55,121$27
    12Texas$54,596$26
    13Georgia$52,442$25

    Average communications/outreach manager salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Goldbelt Falcon$75,054$36.08
    2E C O$72,615$34.91
    3Americorps$64,621$31.0730
    4Illinois Action for Children$62,925$30.25
    5New York University$61,119$29.384
    6University of Houston$53,627$25.784
    7Magellan Health$52,273$25.132
    8State of Georgia: Teachers Retirement System of Georgia$46,049$22.145
    9Gwinnett County$42,105$20.241
    10Foundation Communities$40,259$19.36
  4. Writing a communications/outreach manager job description

    A job description for a communications/outreach manager role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a communications/outreach manager job description:

    Communications/outreach manager job description example

    • Dedication and experience supporting our local communities combined with an enthusiasm for nonprofit industry.
    • Organization, attention to detail, ability to work independently in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
    • Excellent writing, analytical, and research skills, with the ability to draw useful conclusions from data sets.
    • High level of computer literacy, including familiarity with Microsoft Office and Constituent Relationship Management databases (Raiser’s Edge preferred).
    • Advanced skills with Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, PhotoShop, Premiere Pro) or other design software
    • 3-4 years of digital marketing experience, custom pixel placement within Facebook Ads platform and WordPress website development.
    • Knowledge of social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram).
    • 2+ year proven track record of success with hands-on Facebook Ads Manager experience setting up, implementing and managing ad campaigns within budget and to goals.
    • Personable, customer-oriented; ease with working with others and with delegating.
    • Must work well under pressure and with changing priorities.
    • Confidentiality with sensitive information.
    • Leadership and Teamwork, Outreach Tactic Development & Execution, Outreach Content & Asset Creation
    • Computer literate; proficient in Microsoft Office Suite: Word, Excel, Teams, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

    Supervisory Responsibility
    This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

    Work Environment/Travel

    While performing the duties of this job, the employee works mostly in an office environment that is quiet to moderately loud, depending on the work area. Some local, county, or state travel may be required, including overnight stays. Employee is required to sit, use hands, stand, stoop, walk, talk, and listen while performing duties. General office equipment including personal computers, scanners, copiers, faxes, desk- and smartphones, and software programs. Occasional travel of distance may be required, especially suburban Cook County. Other travel of distance may be required. Must possess and maintain an applicable Illinois Driver License, clean driving record, and Auto Insurance that meets the State requirement.

    Physical Demands

    The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

    While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift or move up to 20 pounds and ability to work at a computer for long periods of time. Requires normal range of hearing/vision.

    Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

    It is an administrative support level position requiring the exercise of discretion and independent judgment and is required to work a full-time work week, as designated by the CEDA Employee Handbook, with periodic longer hours, including potential evenings, weekends, and odd hours.

    Required Education and Experience

    • Bachelor’s degree or relevant experience consistent with the duties laid out in the job description.

    Preferred Education and Experience

    • Fluency in foreign language (Spanish preferred).
    • Understanding and enthusiasm for CEDA’s vision and willingness to advocate its mission.
    • Understanding of challenges facing populations with low incomes or willingness to learn.
    • Three (3) or more years of nonprofit experience highly preferred.
    • Experience in one or more of the following areas preferred: website administration, graphic design or social media strategy.

    AP/EEO Statement
    CEDA provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, CEDA complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

    CEDA expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of CEDA’s employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.

    ADA Statement

    The physical demands, work environment factors, and mental functions described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

    Other Duties

    Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

  5. Post your job

    To find communications/outreach managers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any communications/outreach managers they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level communications/outreach managers with the right educational background.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your communications/outreach manager job on Zippia to find and recruit communications/outreach manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    During your first interview to recruit communications/outreach managers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new communications/outreach manager

    Once you've found the communications/outreach manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

    It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new communications/outreach manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire a communications/outreach manager?

Recruiting communications/outreach managers involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

Communications/outreach managers earn a median yearly salary is $62,029 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find communications/outreach managers for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $21 and $41.

Find better communications/outreach managers in less time
Post a job on Zippia and hire the best from over 7 million monthly job seekers.

Hiring communications/outreach managers FAQs

Search for communications/outreach manager jobs

Ready to start hiring?

Browse executive management jobs