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What is a senior marketing communications specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Kris Hovsepian,
Dr. Musonda Kapatamoyo Ph.D.

As a Senior Communications Specialist, you will work to promote an organization's products and services and maintain consistent targeted marketing. You may be the head of the marketing, advertising, or media relations departments. As the Senior Marketing Communications Specialist, you will be expected to create marketing materials and lead a team of creative communicators. Your materials will be distributed to customers in the form of newsletters, brochures, and emails. You may also work with the design team to create other materials like white papers and videos.

You will also be required to be a communication specialist and handle public relations, information output, press releases and media requests, social media, and advertising efforts. You will need a bachelor's degree in business, communications, English, marketing, or journalism. If you have additional qualifications like a master's degree, you can advance your career and obtain more job opportunities. A Senior Marketing Communications Specialist makes an average salary of $60,000 a year. Bonuses may also be included.

What general advice would you give to a senior marketing communications specialist?

Kris HovsepianKris Hovsepian LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor of Marketing, Ashland University

I teach a Salesmanship class. You can show the basics of sales in about three weeks... so what do I do with the rest of the semester? In addition to role-playing, I invite professional sales reps to speak about how they got to their positions and what they love about sales. AND most bring their business cards! So, networking!!! I have had speakers in from Nestle, Smuckers, and Cintas, to name a few. And I have had students get internships and jobs from these contacts.

So, not only networking, but internships. An internship is a way to "preview" a potential hire. Does this person fit with the corporate culture? And does the student like that corporate culture? I had a student who got an internship through my class with a marketing company; when she came back in the fall, she told me it was the best internship she could have had - she hated it! She switched from marketing to finance and has been very happy with her decision.

Some of the speakers I bring in are former students. One pointed out that one's "public" appearance is essential. She encouraged everyone in the class to get LinkedIn and to use that site to promote who they were and what they could offer a firm.
ScoreSenior Marketing Communications SpecialistUS Average
Salary
5.3

Avg. Salary $67,524

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
4.9

Growth rate 19%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.14%

Asian 9.54%

Black or African American 5.35%

Hispanic or Latino 12.80%

Unknown 5.05%

White 67.13%

Gender

female 72.82%

male 27.18%

Age - 34
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 - 34
Stress level
4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Senior marketing communications specialist career paths

Key steps to become a senior marketing communications specialist

  1. Explore senior marketing communications specialist education requirements

    Most common senior marketing communications specialist degrees

    Bachelor's

    77.4 %

    Master's

    12.9 %

    Associate

    7.1 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior marketing communications specialist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Project Management8.03%
    Digital Marketing7.81%
    PowerPoint4.56%
    Marketing Campaigns4.38%
    Communication Strategies4.26%
  3. Complete relevant senior marketing communications specialist training and internships

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

    • Manage, design, edit, write, and code company's weekly online HTML newsletter.
    • Format, manage and execute day-to-day marketing and email communications in HTML format.
    • Craft PowerPoint presentation about retirement investment strategies and how to use the annuity and health insurance products MetLife offers.
    • Input and maintain current proposal material, contact and company information in Deltek database and/or Sharepoint portal.
  5. Get senior marketing communications specialist experience

    Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a senior marketing communications specialist. The most common roles before becoming a senior marketing communications specialist include marketing communications specialist, marketing manager team lead and marketing communications manager.
  6. Prepare your senior marketing communications specialist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior marketing communications specialist 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 marketing communications specialist 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 marketing communications specialist resume templates

    Build a professional senior marketing communications specialist 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 marketing communications specialist resume.
    Senior Marketing Communications Specialist Resume
    Senior Marketing Communications Specialist Resume
    Senior Marketing Communications Specialist Resume
    Senior Marketing Communications Specialist Resume
    Senior Marketing Communications Specialist Resume
    Senior Marketing Communications Specialist Resume
    Senior Marketing Communications Specialist Resume
    Senior Marketing Communications Specialist Resume
    Senior Marketing Communications Specialist Resume
  7. Apply for senior marketing communications specialist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior marketing communications specialist 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

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Average senior marketing communications specialist salary

The average senior marketing communications specialist salary in the United States is $67,524 per year or $32 per hour. Senior marketing communications specialist salaries range between $49,000 and $91,000 per year.

Average senior marketing communications specialist salary
$67,524 Yearly
$32.46 hourly

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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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