Marketing Manager job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

12

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 4 of 5

considerable preparation

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$166,790

BLS May 2025

1. Formulate, direct, or coordinate marketing activities or policies to promote products or services, working with advertising or promotion managers. importance 4.1 of 5
2. Use sales forecasting or strategic planning to ensure the sale and profitability of products, lines, or services, analyzing business developments and monitoring market trends. importance 3.9 of 5
3. Identify, develop, or evaluate marketing strategy, based on knowledge of establishment objectives, market characteristics, and cost and markup factors. importance 3.9 of 5
4. Direct the hiring, training, or performance evaluations of marketing or sales staff and oversee their daily activities. importance 3.8 of 5
5. Evaluate the financial aspects of product development, such as budgets, expenditures, research and development appropriations, or return-on-investment and profit-loss projections. importance 3.8 of 5
6. Develop pricing strategies, balancing firm objectives and customer satisfaction. importance 3.8 of 5
7. Initiate market research studies, or analyze their findings. importance 3.7 of 5
8. Compile lists describing product or service offerings. importance 3.6 of 5
9. Consult with product development personnel on product specifications, such as design, color, or packaging. importance 3.6 of 5
10. Recommend modifications to products, packaging, production processes, or other characteristics to improve the environmental soundness or sustainability of products. importance 3.6 of 5
11. Conduct economic or commercial surveys to identify potential markets for products or services. importance 3.4 of 5
12. Coordinate or participate in promotional activities or trade shows, working with developers, advertisers, or production managers, to market products or services. importance 3.2 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Developing Objectives and Strategies, Selling or Influencing Others and Communicating with People Outside the Organization.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Consult with buying personnel to gain advice regarding the types of products or services expected to be in demand.
• Negotiate contracts with vendors or distributors to manage product distribution, establishing distribution networks or developing distribution strategies.
• Confer with legal staff to resolve problems, such as copyright infringement or royalty sharing with outside producers or distributors.
• Consult with buying personnel to gain advice regarding environmentally sound or sustainable products.
• Advise business or other groups on local, national, or international factors affecting the buying or selling of products or services.
• Select products or accessories to be displayed at trade or special production shows.

Knowledge areas: Sales and Marketing, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Communications and Media and Administration and Management.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Atlassian JIRA, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Salesforce software, Structured query language SQL. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists 5 years or more of work experience in a related occupation as typical.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 4 of 5 (considerable preparation). A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become a marketing manager.

Most marketing managers surveyed by O*NET (80%) name a bachelor's degree as the education the job requires.

Job title: Marketing Manager
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Marketing Manager to plan, direct, or coordinate marketing policies and programs, such as determining the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors, and identify potential customers.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Formulate, direct, or coordinate marketing activities or policies to promote products or services, working with advertising or promotion managers.
- Use sales forecasting or strategic planning to ensure the sale and profitability of products, lines, or services, analyzing business developments and monitoring market trends.
- Identify, develop, or evaluate marketing strategy, based on knowledge of establishment objectives, market characteristics, and cost and markup factors.
- Direct the hiring, training, or performance evaluations of marketing or sales staff and oversee their daily activities.
- Evaluate the financial aspects of product development, such as budgets, expenditures, research and development appropriations, or return-on-investment and profit-loss projections.
- Develop pricing strategies, balancing firm objectives and customer satisfaction.
- Initiate market research studies, or analyze their findings.
- Compile lists describing product or service offerings.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists 5 years or more in a related occupation as typical; adjust to this role]
- Strength in active listening, speaking and persuasion
- Working knowledge of Sales and Marketing and English Language
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Atlassian JIRA or Microsoft Excel]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $166,790 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $80.19. BLS estimates about 395,240 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of marketing managers to grow 6.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 34,000 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full marketing manager salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real marketing manager posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Formulate, direct, or coordinate marketing activities or policies to…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only marketing manager work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (active listening and speaking).