Post job

What is a senior director, marketing & communications and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Stephanie Dellande,
Richard Tate

As a senior director of marketing and operations, you will hold a great amount of responsibility for the various marketing and operational activities of your company. As such, your duties will include spearheading marketing campaigns, developing operational strategies, supervising subordinate staff members, and communicating progress to other executives and stakeholders in the company.

Senior directors of marketing and operations usually work in private offices and frequently interact with marketing and operations managers. They may also travel for business both locally and internationally, as well as attend client meetings, business conferences, and important marketing events.

An advanced degree in marketing, business, or communications is ideal for this job. However, the minimum requirement that employers usually look for is a bachelor's degree. Apart from education, employers also want to see years of industry experience, as well as a good track record in leadership roles.

As you would expect, the salary for this job is more than six digits, similar to other upper-level managers. On average, senior directors of marketing and operations make around $114,000 a year, depending on their experience and skills.

What general advice would you give to a senior director, marketing & communications?

Stephanie DellandeStephanie Dellande LinkedIn profile

Professor, Menlo College

Most likely, some 2020 graduates are feeling discouraged about their future. Particularly for those in fields in which job opportunities are generally less abundant, e.g., communication, psychology, majority of the humanities. Young adults, ages 18-35 years, have experienced and/or are experiencing, directly or indirectly, some of the country's most difficult times, the great recession December 2007 - June 2009, for many much longer, and now the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Congress has a significant role in determining the timeline of the fate of COVID-19 and a thriving economy. While the well-being (physical, financial, emotional, educational) of the American people is top of mind for this administration, if the economy is going to recover in a more expedient way, congress ultimately must agree to the administration's proposed recommendations, bills. If they do, recent graduates will likely be in good stead. It would be in the best interest of graduates to take a mindful approach (Celsi, Nelson, Dellande, Gilly, 2017) to their career. While the economy is in a state of collapse, young adults may have a difficult time launching their career. However, food for thought, accepting most any work although it may not be in a preferred field is suggested. Also recommended, while in a less desirable position, take advantage of or create opportunities to perform tasks related or only tangentially related to an aspirational career. Doing so will likely go a long way in helping to realize an ideal position.
ScoreSenior Director, Marketing & CommunicationsUS Average
Salary
8.5

Avg. Salary $133,729

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 8.15%

Black or African American 3.04%

Hispanic or Latino 8.67%

Unknown 5.32%

White 74.58%

Gender

female 57.26%

male 42.74%

Age - 38
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 - 38
Stress level
7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Senior director, marketing & communications career paths

Key steps to become a senior director, marketing & communications

  1. Explore senior director, marketing & communications education requirements

    Most common senior director, marketing & communications degrees

    Bachelor's

    79.3 %

    Master's

    14.7 %

    Associate

    4.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior director, marketing & communications skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Digital Marketing8.03%
    Communications Strategy6.18%
    Marketing Campaigns5.97%
    Press Releases5.94%
    SEO4.33%
  3. Complete relevant senior director, marketing & communications training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior directors, marketing & communications 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 senior director, marketing & communications based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior director, marketing & communications resumes.
  4. Research senior director, marketing & communications duties and responsibilities

    • Lead online marketing initiatives for building traffic, sales and lead generation, including SEO, content marketing and social media.
    • Manage all internal company-wide communications, including company intranet, quarterly all- company meetings broadcast to all locations and executive communications.
    • Create scripted campaigns within CRM system for outbound call center testing and rollout.
    • Utilize SEO and SEM to optimize metrics and adapt marketing strategies to meet business goals.
  5. Get senior director, marketing & communications experience

    Generally, it takes 8-10 years to become a senior director, marketing & communications. The most common roles before becoming a senior director, marketing & communications include marketing director, director of communications and marketing team lead and marketing manager.
  6. Prepare your senior director, marketing & communications resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior director, marketing & communications 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 senior director, marketing & communications resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable senior director, marketing & communications resume templates

    Build a professional senior director, marketing & communications 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 senior director, marketing & communications resume.
    Senior Director, Marketing & Communications Resume
    Senior Director, Marketing & Communications Resume
    Senior Director, Marketing & Communications Resume
    Senior Director, Marketing & Communications Resume
    Senior Director, Marketing & Communications Resume
    Senior Director, Marketing & Communications Resume
    Senior Director, Marketing & Communications Resume
    Senior Director, Marketing & Communications Resume
    Senior Director, Marketing & Communications Resume
  7. Apply for senior director, marketing & communications jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior director, marketing & communications 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 senior director, marketing & communications job

Zippi

Are you a senior director, marketing & communications?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average senior director, marketing & communications salary

The average senior director, marketing & communications salary in the United States is $133,729 per year or $64 per hour. Senior director, marketing & communications salaries range between $91,000 and $194,000 per year.

Average senior director, marketing & communications salary
$133,729 Yearly
$64.29 hourly

What am I worth?

salary-calculator

How do senior directors, marketing & communications rate their job?

Working as a senior director, marketing & communications? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall rating*
Career growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

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.

Browse executive management jobs