Communications Manager
Communications managers look after how an organisation speaks to its staff, the media, customers and the public, and keep the message consistent across all of them.
- Median salary
- $139,200
4.0%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 10,800
1.9%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +17.5%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 44/wk
+4h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Communications managers work inside an organisation's leadership team, usually reporting to a chief executive or a director, and they coordinate everything from internal staff updates to media statements and crisis response. The role sits close to public relations and marketing but is broader: a public relations officer concentrates on media and external reputation, while a communications manager also owns internal messaging and executive communication. Most work in-house rather than at an agency, in government, corporate and professional services organisations.
How much do communications managers earn?
The median full-time salary for a communications manager is $139,200 per annum, before tax, up $29,000 since 2018.
Pay moves most with the sector and the size of the function you run: government departments and large corporates pay more than small not-for-profits, and managing a team or a budget lifts it further. Some roles sit under an enterprise agreement with defined bands, while corporate in-house roles are negotiated individually. Crisis and on-call expectations usually show up as extra hours rather than penalty rates, because most communications managers are on salaries.
What does a communications manager do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Writing the same announcement for staff, customers, social media and the media, and shifting the tone for each
- Taking calls from journalists and answering within the hour, which can push the rest of the day's work aside
- Briefing and coaching executives before interviews, speeches and town halls
- Watching news coverage, social channels and internal feedback for anything that could turn into a reputation problem
- Holding the content calendar together while a crisis or an unexpected announcement takes priority
What skills do communications managers need?
Employers look for strategy development, content creation and writing, project management, backed by Adobe Creative Suite fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Strategy development
- Content creation and writing
- Project management
- Data analysis
Software and tools
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Hootsuite or Buffer
- HubSpot CMS
- Microsoft Teams
- Canva
General skills
- Written communication
- Stakeholder management
- Presenting and data storytelling
- Problem solving
Is the job growing?
About 10,800 people work as communications managers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 17.5% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become a communications manager?
Here's the path most communications managers take, step by step.
- 1Get a relevant degree
A bachelor degree in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing or a related field is the standard entry point, and a postgraduate qualification is common among people who move across from another profession later.
- 2Start in a coordinator or officer role
Communications coordinator, public relations officer and media adviser roles are the usual first step and they are paid. Two or three years there gives you campaigns, statements and media contacts to show an employer.
- 3Build a portfolio of outcomes
Keep examples of work where your writing or advice changed something, such as a statement that held up through a difficult news cycle, an internal campaign with measurable reach, or a plain-English guide to a complex policy.
- 4Move into management
The step up usually brings responsibility for a team, a budget or a channel rather than a different set of tasks. Employers often ask for experience managing people, so a team leader or acting role helps.
- 5Consider further study if you are changing fields
A graduate certificate or diploma in communications or public relations is a common route for journalists, marketers and policy staff moving in, and it can be done part time while you keep working.
Ready to apply as a communications manager?
Whether you're working toward becoming a communications manager or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a communications manager move to?
Moving into Policy and Planning Manager typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $13,900 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy and Planning Manager Communications managers bring public affairs and consultation skills to policy planning, with further study needed for government processes.Known move | +$13,900 | 45% | reskill |
| General Manager Communications managers bring stakeholder engagement and public messaging to general management, though the step up may need further study.Known move | +$9,000 | 19% | reskill |
| Marketing Manager Communications managers bring messaging and stakeholder skills to marketing management, with a short course covering broader campaign oversight.Known move | +$0 | 55% | short course |
| Customer Experience Manager Communications managers bring customer communication and feedback skills to experience management, with a short course in service design.Known move | −$24,500 | 50% | short course |
| Brand Manager Communications managers bring audience insight and consistent messaging to brand management, with little extra training needed. | −$37,800 | 68% | minimal |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a communications manager?
The typical communications manager is 41 years old; 72% are women, 85% work full-time, and full-timers average 44 hours a week.
- 41
- Median age
- 72%
- Female share
- 85%
- Full-time
- +4h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a communications manager?
The work runs in two gears: a planned one built around a content calendar, campaigns and executive events, and a reactive one that starts when a journalist calls or something goes wrong. Communications managers are usually the ones who have to find the right words quickly, then get them past legal, executives or both, which is where much of the pressure sits. It suits people who like writing, can hold several views of the same story in their head, and are comfortable with work judged on how a message lands rather than on a finished product.
What people like
- Writing that ends up mattering. A well-worded statement can settle a worried workforce or take the heat out of a difficult news story, and you often see the effect within hours.
- A seat close to decision making. The role sits near the executive team, so you usually know what is happening and why before most of the organisation does.
- A different subject every month. Working across policy, operations, finance and people means you learn a lot about the business you work in.
- Making something complicated clear. Turning a technical or legal message into something a general audience understands is a craft you keep building.
What people find hard
- Interruptions set the day's agenda. A breaking issue can wipe out planned work, and the deadline attached to it is not negotiable.
- Long approval rounds. A short statement may pass through legal, an executive and two other teams before it goes out, and each round can change it.
- Criticism lands with you. When a message misfires, the communications team hears about it, even when the decision behind it was made elsewhere.
- Hard to switch off during an incident. Issues do not wait for the end of the working day, so evenings and weekends go when something is running.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ communications managers?
Public Administration and Safety employs the largest share of communications managers, followed by Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Public Administration and Safety
- 2Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 3Financial and Insurance Services
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 51% | |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | 29.1% | |
| Year 12 or below | 7.7% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 7.1% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 3.1% |
Will AI replace communications managers?
Communications management sits in the middle: AI tools are genuinely useful for drafting, editing, summarising coverage and scheduling posts, so the production side of the job is faster than it used to be. What they cannot do is decide what an organisation should say, to whom and when, which is most of the value a communications manager adds. Expect teams to use generative AI for first drafts and monitoring platforms for coverage summaries, with the manager editing, checking facts and deciding what goes out.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Drafting statements, releases and staff updatesAI produces a usable first draft in seconds, but tone, accuracy and what the organisation is willing to say need someone who knows the context.30%moderate
- Advising executives and handling crisis responseA live issue needs fast judgement about what to say and when, drawing on relationships with journalists, executives and legal advisers.30%low
- Monitoring media, social channels and internal feedbackMonitoring platforms already gather and summarise coverage, so the work shifts to judging which mentions actually matter.20%high
- Planning the content calendar and campaign scheduleScheduling tools and analytics suggest timing and channels, though the plan still has to fit around executive events, launches and the news cycle.20%moderate
Common questions about becoming a communications manager
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do communications managers earn?
Communications managers earn a median of $139,200 per annum, before tax, for full-time work. The figure moves with the sector and the seniority of the role, since government and large corporate positions pay more than small not-for-profits and managing a team lifts it further.
How do you become a communications manager?
Most people enter through a communications, public relations or journalism degree, then a coordinator or officer role, and move into management after a few years. A portfolio of writing samples and campaigns matters as much as the specific degree, and a short course or graduate qualification helps if you are coming from journalism or marketing.
Are communications managers in demand?
Communications managers are currently not in shortage, and employment in the role is projected to grow 17.5% over the decade to 2035. Government, professional services and financial services employ a large share of them, so the work is concentrated in organisations large enough to have a communications function.
How is AI affecting communications management?
Drafting, editing and media monitoring are the parts most exposed, and many teams already use AI for first drafts and coverage summaries. Deciding what an organisation should say, to whom and when still rests with the manager, along with the relationships with journalists, executives and legal advisers.
What can a communications manager move into?
Experienced communications managers often move into marketing management, where pay is about the same, or into policy and planning management, which pays $13,900 more but involves learning government processes. People also arrive from public relations or journalism, bringing media contacts and news judgement with a short course in corporate messaging. Some experienced managers later run their own consultancy or agency, working for several clients instead of one employer.
What is the difference between a communications manager and a public relations manager?
A public relations manager usually focuses on external reputation and media relationships, while a communications manager also covers internal messaging, executive communication and consistency across every channel. In smaller organisations one person does both, which is why the titles are often used interchangeably in job ads.
Related roles
- Marketing Manager
- General Manager
- Policy and Planning Manager
- Brand Manager
- Customer Experience Manager
- Public Relations Officer
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