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What is a document manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
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A document manager is responsible for overseeing all organizational documentation in accordance with the organization's goals, policies, and budget. Overseeing the documentation section entails ensuring the security, accessibility, and timeliness of all documents. Your job is to design and develop standard documentation methods that your organization can replicate and use to efficiently produce high-quality documentation.

You will also be required to direct documentation projects with a deadline, edit some projects, train staff and ensure that project goals and milestones are achieved. You will also be expected to work with departmental servers to manage document flow and ensure document accessibility for those who have access approval.

Important skills for any document manager are project management, procedures, technical documentation, teamwork, communication, and presentation skills. You will require a bachelor's degree to function as a document manager. The average annual salary for any document manager is $83,000 and $40.05 per hour.

ScoreDocument ManagerUS Average
Salary
7.5

Avg. Salary $97,896

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
5.8

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 11.99%

Black or African American 6.24%

Hispanic or Latino 8.82%

Unknown 4.70%

White 67.73%

Gender

female 54.52%

male 45.48%

Age - 43
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 - 43
Stress level
5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
5.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Document manager career paths

Key steps to become a document manager

  1. Explore document manager education requirements

    Most common document manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    62.7 %

    Associate

    16.6 %

    Master's

    11.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific document manager skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Project Management8.95%
    Technical Documentation8.18%
    Continuous Improvement6.46%
    CDI4.84%
    SharePoint4.44%
  3. Complete relevant document manager training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New document 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 document manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real document manager resumes.
  4. Research document manager duties and responsibilities

    • Manage the ECN process and keep an update revision log on all products.
    • Manage the AutoCAD and SolidWorks software operations, file structure/management, control and use.
    • Create, coordinate and manage technical BOM's, markups, drawings, specifications, artwork, and samples.
    • Implement EDMS solution as the primary system of record; ensure integration into daily processes to achieve return on investment.
  5. Prepare your document manager resume

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

    Build a professional document 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 document manager resume.
    Document Manager Resume
    Document Manager Resume
    Document Manager Resume
    Document Manager Resume
    Document Manager Resume
    Document Manager Resume
    Document Manager Resume
    Document Manager Resume
    Document Manager Resume
  6. Apply for document manager jobs

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

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

How did you land your first document manager job

Zippi

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Average document manager salary

The average document manager salary in the United States is $97,896 per year or $47 per hour. Document manager salaries range between $49,000 and $192,000 per year.

Average document manager salary
$97,896 Yearly
$47.07 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do document managers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

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Document manager reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020
Pros

Expressing and detailing the facts about a defect or incident is challenging. I had to use all senses to arrive at a factual conclusion. It is satisfying and rewarding when you arrive at the truth and root of the matter.

Cons

Deception and non cooperation throws a wrench into you efforts.


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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Cons

Biotech field is volatile. Most other departments have high changeover in personnel. Frequent changes in policy / expectations due to changes in management and ownership. The company I work for has been bought and sold twice to larger companies in my fifteen years here.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Pros

You get bits of information about many fields and across departments

Cons

There is no room for careless mistakes


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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