Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Marketing & Communications Manager

💰 $70,000 - $120,000

MarketingCommunicationsManagementDigital Marketing

🎯 Role Definition

The Marketing & Communications Manager is a strategic and hands-on leader responsible for developing and executing integrated marketing and communications programs that elevate brand reputation, accelerate pipeline growth, and engage internal and external stakeholders. This role blends content strategy, public relations, digital marketing, and analytics to deliver measurable results across owned, earned, and paid channels. The manager partners closely with product, sales, HR, and executive leadership to align messaging, optimize customer journeys, and ensure consistent brand voice.

Key SEO/LLM keywords: marketing manager, communications manager, brand strategy, content marketing, digital marketing, PR, social media, SEO, SEM, demand generation, marketing analytics, internal communications, campaign management.


📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Marketing Coordinator or Marketing Specialist with demonstrated campaign experience
  • Communications Specialist, PR Coordinator or Content Strategist
  • Digital Marketing Specialist or Social Media Manager with cross-channel experience

Advancement To:

  • Director of Marketing
  • Head of Communications / Head of Brand
  • Senior Manager, Global Marketing or VP of Marketing (for enterprise paths)

Lateral Moves:

  • Product Marketing Manager
  • Corporate Communications Manager
  • Content Marketing Lead
  • Demand Generation Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop and own the annual marketing and communications strategy that aligns with company objectives, including brand positioning, demand generation, retention communications, product launches, and executive thought leadership programs.
  • Plan, execute, and optimize multi-channel marketing campaigns (email, social, paid search/social, display, content, events, and PR) to generate qualified leads, nurture pipeline, and increase customer retention, using clear KPIs and attribution models.
  • Create and maintain a content calendar and editorial program producing high-quality long-form and short-form content (blogs, case studies, white papers, video scripts, landing pages, newsletters) that supports SEO, lead conversion, and buyer journey stages.
  • Lead brand management efforts: refine brand messaging, oversee visual identity consistency, develop brand guidelines, and ensure all external and internal content reflects the organization’s voice and positioning.
  • Build and manage relationships with media, press, analysts, and influencers; draft and distribute press releases, secure media coverage, and coordinate interviews and speaking opportunities to amplify brand visibility.
  • Oversee digital marketing tactics including SEO/SEM strategy, keyword research, on-page and technical SEO recommendations, paid search campaigns, programmatic and social media advertising to maximize ROI.
  • Use marketing automation and CRM (e.g., HubSpot, Marketo, Salesforce) to design lead nurturing programs, segmentation, scoring, and lifecycle campaigns; measure impact and iterate to improve conversion rates.
  • Measure, analyze, and report campaign and channel performance using analytics tools (Google Analytics/GA4, BI dashboards), creating actionable insights and optimization recommendations for CAC, LTV, MQL-to-SQL conversion, and other key metrics.
  • Plan and execute product launches and major communications rollouts in collaboration with product, sales enablement, and customer success, including go-to-market planning, launch assets, sales playbooks, and training materials.
  • Manage budget planning, forecasting and allocation across channels and vendors; track spend against targets and ensure cost-effective delivery of marketing programs.
  • Lead creative development and asset production, partnering with in-house designers or external agencies on concepting, copywriting, design, video production, and UX copy to ensure timely delivery of campaign materials.
  • Drive social media strategy and community engagement across LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram and emerging platforms; develop content pillars, calendar, and paid amplification plans to grow followers and engagement.
  • Own corporate communications and internal comms initiatives, including executive communications, employee newsletters, town halls, and crisis communications plans that maintain transparency and alignment across the organization.
  • Develop and manage PR and crisis communication playbooks, prepare executive spokespeople, and coordinate rapid-response communications to protect brand reputation during sensitive events.
  • Execute partner and channel marketing programs with co-marketing plans, joint events, co-branded content, and pipeline reporting to maximize partner-sourced revenue.
  • Establish and monitor A/B and multivariate testing programs across email, landing pages, and ads; synthesize results to inform creative, messaging and channel allocation decisions.
  • Manage third-party vendors and agencies (creative, PR, media buying, SEO) including RFPs, contracts, performance SLAs, and campaign oversight to deliver quality work aligned with objectives.
  • Build and mentor a cross-functional marketing team or coordinate contractors; set goals, conduct performance reviews, and develop career paths to build bench strength and retain talent.
  • Ensure compliance with legal, privacy and brand policies across marketing initiatives; coordinate with legal and compliance teams for approvals and regulatory guidance.
  • Collaborate with sales to align on lead definitions, SLAs, campaign handoffs, sales enablement materials and reporting to improve pipeline velocity and conversion.
  • Drive customer marketing and advocacy programs (case studies, testimonials, reference programs, user groups) to increase retention, upsell, and referral growth.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc reporting requests and contribute marketing insights to cross-functional data reviews and executive presentations.
  • Maintain and optimize the company website and landing page experience using CMS best practices (e.g., WordPress, Drupal), CRO principles and performance monitoring.
  • Contribute to employer branding and recruitment marketing efforts, producing content to attract candidates and support HR in talent campaigns.
  • Participate in strategic planning sessions to advise on market trends, competitive positioning, and product-market fit based on ongoing market research.
  • Manage event strategy including trade shows, webinars, conferences, and customer events—overseeing logistics, content, sponsorships, and post-event lead follow-up.
  • Support sales enablement by developing one-pagers, pitch decks, battlecards and training modules that align marketing campaigns to the sales process.
  • Coordinate with product managers to translate product features into customer benefits and go-to-market messaging that resonates with target segments.
  • Contribute to continuous improvement of marketing processes, tooling and playbooks to scale operations and improve cross-team collaboration.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Integrated marketing strategy and campaign management across digital, content, events, and PR.
  • Content marketing and editorial planning (blogs, whitepapers, case studies, video scripts).
  • SEO and SEM: keyword strategy, on-page optimization, technical SEO awareness, Google Ads management.
  • Marketing automation and CRM proficiency (e.g., HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, Salesforce).
  • Digital analytics and reporting (Google Analytics/GA4, Looker, Tableau, Excel/Sheets) with ability to translate data into action.
  • Paid media management across platforms (Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Meta Ads, programmatic).
  • Experience with CMS platforms (WordPress, Drupal) and basic HTML/CSS familiarity for content updates.
  • Email marketing best practices and A/B testing experience, segmentation and deliverability optimization.
  • PR and media relations: press release creation, media pitching, interview prep, and analyst relations.
  • Creative production oversight: briefing designers and agencies, managing timelines for visual and video content.
  • Budgeting and vendor/agency management, including contract negotiation and ROI tracking.
  • Familiarity with marketing technology stack and integrations (tag management, tracking pixels, CDPs).

Soft Skills

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills with exceptional copywriting and editing ability.
  • Strategic thinker with a data-driven mindset and ability to prioritize based on impact and ROI.
  • Leadership and people management: coaching, mentoring, and performance management.
  • Project management and organizational skills with proven ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives and deadlines.
  • Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management at executive and operational levels.
  • Creative problem solving and adaptability in fast-paced and ambiguous environments.
  • Presentation and storytelling skills to convey complex data and campaign results to non-marketing audiences.
  • Emotional intelligence and crisis communication temperament for high-pressure situations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Business, Public Relations, or related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Marketing, MBA, Communications, or relevant graduate degree preferred but not required.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Marketing
  • Communications
  • Journalism
  • Business Administration
  • Public Relations

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 5 to 8 years of progressive marketing and communications experience, including 2+ years in a manager or lead role.

Preferred:

  • 7+ years of experience with demonstrated success in integrated marketing campaigns, digital advertising, PR, content strategy, and stakeholder leadership. Experience in B2B SaaS, technology, healthcare, or corporate communications is a plus.