What does a Communications Manager do?
Communications managers run PR and media relations, executive voice and crisis response, so the company is understood and trusted.
- Open roles now
- 101
- Median pay (20 posts)
- $228k
- Remote
- 46%
- Most-requested tool
- Generative AI
The job
Communications managers manage the company's reputation. The core is media relations (pitching stories, building relationships with journalists and handling inbound requests), plus executive communications, announcements, awards and speaking. Many roles also cover internal communications and crisis response.
The work has spread beyond traditional press. Founder and executive social presence, podcasts, newsletters and community voices now shape reputation as much as coverage in major outlets, and good comms people work across all of them.
When something goes wrong, communications leads the response. That means having a plan before it's needed, moving fast without guessing, and coordinating with legal, leadership and support.
A typical week
- Pitch an announcement or story to a short list of reporters
- Prepare an executive for an interview or podcast
- Draft a press release, blog post and social copy for a launch
- Track coverage and share of voice
- Update the crisis plan and holding statements
How they're measured
- Quality coverage in target outlets
- Share of voice against competitors
- Message pull-through in coverage
- Executive visibility and speaking slots
- Speed and quality of crisis response
Skills that matter
- Media relations
- Relationships with journalists and knowing what makes a story.
- Writing
- Releases, statements and executive content all need to be clear and quick.
- Executive prep
- Getting leaders ready for interviews and stages.
- Crisis judgment
- Moving fast without making things worse.
- Narrative building
- A consistent story across announcements.
- Measurement
- Showing coverage mattered beyond clip counts.
Tools employers ask for
Share of 102 brand and communications job posts on HeyMarketers in the last 12 months that name each tool.
- Generative AI25%
- Asana10%
- Clay4%
- Figma3%
- Adobe Creative Suite3%
Pay
The median base salary on full-time brand and communications posts is $228k, and the middle half pay $181k to $253k (20 posts with published pay, last 12 months). By level: mid level and manager $206k, director, head of and lead $248k.
See the full brand and communications salary guideCareer path
- 1
Communications or PR coordinator
Media lists, monitoring and drafting.
- 2
Communications manager
Owns media relations and announcements.
- 3
Senior manager or head of communications
Owns corporate reputation and executive comms.
- 4
VP communications
Owns all external and internal communications.
Open brand and communications roles by level right now: entry level 2%, mid level 30%, senior 30%, lead or director 38%, vp or c-level 1%.
How to stand out
- Show coverage you earned and the pitch that got it.
- Explain a crisis you handled and what you'd do differently.
- Show executive content you shaped.
- Have opinions about which outlets and channels matter for our audience.
Preparing for interviews? See the questions communications managers get asked, or read a typical job description.
Open brand and communications roles
- Sr. Internal Communications Manager · Samsara
- Senior Corporate Communications Manager · Adyen
- Staff Internal Communications Partner (R5918) · Shield AI
- Senior Communications Manager, Australia (R6089) · Shield AI
- Internal Communications Manager · Vercel
- Communications Lead - MENAT+ · Spotify
Hiring now: OpenAI, Anthropic, Fivetran, Airbnb, Chime Financial, Inc, HelloFresh.
See all 101 open brand and communications jobsQuestions
What does a Communications Manager do?
Communications managers manage the company's reputation. The core is media relations (pitching stories, building relationships with journalists and handling inbound requests), plus executive communications, announcements, awards and speaking. Many roles also cover internal communications and crisis response.
How much does a Communications Manager make?
Full-time brand and communications roles on HeyMarketers pay a median base salary of $228k, and half pay between $181k and $253k. That's from 20 job posts with published pay in the last 12 months.
Are communications managers remote?
46% of the 101 open brand and communications roles on HeyMarketers right now are remote. The rest are on-site or hybrid.
What tools do communications managers use?
The tools named most often in brand and communications job posts on HeyMarketers are Generative AI (25% of posts), Asana (10% of posts), Clay (4% of posts), Figma (3% of posts), Adobe Creative Suite (3% of posts).