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What is a senior relationship manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

Senior relationship managers are members of a company assigned to communicating with certain entities outside or inside the company. They are responsible for communicating with other businesses, clients, customers, vendors, and communities, among others. Their main duty is to make sure adequate communication is maintained with the mentioned entities.

Their key responsibilities include serving a designated portfolio of accounts, developing portfolios by prospecting new clients, achieving various individual business targets, preparing credit proposals, conducting a regular review, and providing guidance, coaching, and support for junior teammates.

Education requirements include a bachelor's degree with a major in business administration, finance, or related field. This is a senior position, and most employees would require over ten years of work experience.

Being a senior at an organization does not just get you respect. It has many perks. For example, the average salary for a traditional workweek is $76.66 an hour. That estimates to an average annual wage of $159,458 a year. Not only that, the career is likely to experience growth in the coming years and create various job opportunities across the United States.

ScoreSenior Relationship ManagerUS Average
Salary
7.9

Avg. Salary $112,626

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
9.5

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.3
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.34%

Asian 10.19%

Black or African American 7.60%

Hispanic or Latino 14.56%

Unknown 4.11%

White 63.21%

Gender

female 35.58%

male 64.42%

Age - 46
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 - 46
Stress level
9.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.3

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Senior relationship manager career paths

Key steps to become a senior relationship manager

  1. Explore senior relationship manager education requirements

    Most common senior relationship manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    73.7 %

    Master's

    17.3 %

    Associate

    5.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior relationship manager skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Business Development7.31%
    Financial Services6.47%
    Financial Statements6.22%
    Cross-Selling5.99%
    SR5.81%
  3. Complete relevant senior relationship manager training and internships

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

    • Manage 350 mid-market corporate accounts in healthcare, government and commercial industries nationwide with annual sales of $5M dollars.
    • Lead successful effort to establish first large-scale U.S. corporate treasury management relationship.
    • Manage a portfolio in various stages of workout including liquidation, refinancing, restructure, rehabilitation, bankruptcy and litigation.
    • Coordinate and direct cross sell opportunities with relate business lines including treasury management, leasing, capital markets and investment services.
  5. Get senior relationship manager experience

    Generally, it takes 6-8 years to become a senior relationship manager. The most common roles before becoming a senior relationship manager include relationship manager, vice president team lead and vice president and manager.
  6. Prepare your senior relationship manager resume

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

    Build a professional senior relationship 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 senior relationship manager resume.
    Senior Relationship Manager Resume
    Senior Relationship Manager Resume
    Senior Relationship Manager Resume
    Senior Relationship Manager Resume
    Senior Relationship Manager Resume
    Senior Relationship Manager Resume
    Senior Relationship Manager Resume
    Senior Relationship Manager Resume
    Senior Relationship Manager Resume
  7. Apply for senior relationship manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior relationship 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 senior relationship manager job

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Average senior relationship manager salary

The average senior relationship manager salary in the United States is $112,626 per year or $54 per hour. Senior relationship manager salaries range between $78,000 and $161,000 per year.

Average senior relationship manager salary
$112,626 Yearly
$54.15 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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