# Community Manager Job Description: Templates by Type and Level

> A community manager builds and looks after the people who gather around a brand or product, in comments, Discord, forums, customer groups and events. A good job description names which community, which platforms and how success is measured. Below are templates for the three most common kinds of community role, at coordinator, manager and senior level.

Canonical: https://knowtheroom.ai/career-guides/community-manager-job-description/  
Published by the Know the Room team (https://knowtheroom.ai/authors/know-the-room-team/). Updated 2026-10-24.

## Key takeaways

- A community manager job description should name the community, the platforms and the metrics, because the title covers several different jobs.
- Brand community managers focus on social conversations and advocates, product community managers on forums and user feedback, and member community managers on programs and events.
- Community managers are usually measured on active members, response time, member-generated content and what the community tells the business.
- A posting that lists social publishing, paid ads and community moderation as one job is usually describing a social media manager role with a community title.
- In marketing, a community manager works for a brand; an apartment or homeowners association community manager is a property management job.

Our [community manager](/career-guides/community-manager/) guide covers what the job is and how to get into it. This page is for reading or writing the posting itself: templates for each kind of community role, what each line means, and how to tell what a company is really hiring for.

## What does a community manager job description include?

A community manager job description says which community the person will look after, where it lives, who they work with and how their results will be judged. Strong postings answer five questions:

| Section | What it should say | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| The community | Customers, users, members, fans or creators | Each needs a different kind of manager |
| The platforms | Discord, Reddit, a forum, Slack, Instagram comments, in person | Moderation and programming differ by platform |
| The work | Engagement, moderation, programs, advocates, feedback | Shows whether it's hands-on or strategic |
| The partners | Social, support, product, PR, events | Tells you who you'll spend your week with |
| The measures | Active members, response time, sentiment, retention | The line candidates look for first |

If you're hiring, name the community in the title ("Community Manager, Developer Forum") so the right people apply. If you're applying, read the platforms and partners lines first: they tell you more about the day than the title does.

## What are the main types of community manager jobs?

The title covers three fairly different jobs in marketing, plus one outside it.

| Type | What it looks after | Works most with | Common at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand or social community manager | Conversations around the brand on social, comments and DMs, fans and advocates | Social, PR, influencer marketing | Consumer brands, media, entertainment |
| Product or user community manager | A forum, Discord or Slack where customers help each other and give feedback | Product, support, customer success | Software, gaming, apps |
| Member or customer community manager | Programs, events and groups for customers or members | Customer marketing, events, sales | B2B companies, associations, subscriptions |
| Community association or apartment manager | A residential property or homeowners association | Residents, boards, vendors | Property management (not a marketing role) |

The last row matters when you search job boards: "community manager" brings up property management listings. Add "brand", "social", "Discord" or "online" to filter them out.

## Brand community manager job description template

Use this for a consumer brand's social and fan community. Replace the [brackets] and cut lines that don't apply.

```text
Job title: Community Manager, Brand and Social

About [Company]
[Two sentences: what the brand sells, to whom, and what the community looks like today.]

About the role
You'll own the conversation around [brand] on [Instagram, TikTok, YouTube comments, Discord, Reddit]. You'll report to [Social Media Manager / Head of Social] and work closely with social, influencer marketing, customer care and PR. In your first six months you'll [one concrete goal: e.g. launch an ambassador program with [number] members].

What you'll do
- Reply to comments, mentions and DMs in the brand voice, and know when to hand off to customer care.
- Moderate brand spaces using our community guidelines and escalation process.
- Find and support superfans, creators and ambassadors, and feature their content with permission.
- Plan community moments: challenges, live sessions, launches, events.
- Report what people are saying each [week / month], with real quotes, to marketing and product.
- Flag issues early to PR and leadership when a conversation starts to turn.

What you'll bring
- [1-3 / 3-5] years in social, community or customer-facing roles.
- Writing that sounds like a person, in a brand voice.
- Calm judgment in a heated thread.
- Experience with [Sprout Social / Hootsuite / Later / Discord moderation tools].

How we'll measure success
- [Response time on [channels]]
- [Active ambassadors or member-generated posts per month]
- [Sentiment or share of positive conversation]

Pay and benefits
[Salary range], [benefits], [location / hybrid / remote]. [Evening or weekend coverage, if any.]
```

## Product community manager job description template

Use this when the community is where customers learn, help each other and talk to the product team.

```text
Job title: Community Manager, [Product / Developer / User] Community

About the role
You'll grow and run [Company]'s community on [forum / Discord / Slack], where [customers / developers / players] ask questions, share what they've built and tell us what to build next. You'll report to [Head of Community / Customer Marketing / Developer Relations].

What you'll do
- Run the community day to day: welcome new members, answer or route questions, keep threads on topic.
- Recruit and support volunteer moderators and top contributors.
- Turn common questions into [help articles / FAQs / office hours] with support and documentation.
- Bring feature requests and pain points to product, and close the loop when something ships.
- Host [AMAs / office hours / meetups] with the product team.
- Track health: active members, questions answered by members, time to first reply.

What you'll bring
- Experience running or moderating an online community, ideally around a product.
- Enough product knowledge to answer common questions and know when you can't.
- Comfort working with product managers and engineers.
- Clear reporting with numbers and member quotes.
```

## Senior community manager job description template

A senior or lead role owns the community strategy, a budget and often a small team. Add these lines to either template above.

```text
What you'll do (senior)
- Set the community strategy and yearly goals with [marketing / product] leadership.
- Own the community budget, platforms and tools.
- Build and manage a team of [community coordinators / moderators / an agency].
- Design programs that connect the community to business goals: [retention, product adoption, referrals, launches].
- Present community results and insights to leadership each quarter.

What you'll bring (senior)
- [5+] years in community, with at least one community you grew or relaunched.
- Experience managing people or a moderator program.
- A record of tying community work to business results.
```

Keep the "how we'll measure success" lines in every version. A senior candidate will ask about them in the first call.

## What does a community manager do day to day?

Day to day, a community manager splits time between being in the community, running programs and reporting back. A typical week for a brand community manager might look like this:

| When | What's happening |
|---|---|
| Every morning | Read overnight comments and DMs, reply, flag anything to care or PR |
| Monday | Weekly report: what people talked about, top posts, issues |
| Tuesday | Plan next month's challenge or live session with social |
| Wednesday | Check in with ambassadors; feature member content |
| Thursday | Share feedback themes with product or merchandising |
| Friday | Update guidelines or saved replies; schedule weekend coverage |

On a product community, swap the comments for forum threads and the ambassadors for volunteer moderators. The rhythm is similar.

## How is a community manager measured?

Community managers are usually measured on whether the community is active and healthy, and on what it does for the business. Good postings name two or three of these.

| Measure | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Active members per month | Whether people come back, not just sign up |
| Time to first reply | Whether members feel heard |
| Questions answered by members | Whether the community helps itself (product communities) |
| Member-generated content | Posts, reviews, videos made by members |
| Sentiment | The tone of the conversation over time |
| Retention or adoption among members | The business case for the community |

If a posting lists only follower growth, ask in the interview how the community's value is judged. The [community manager interview questions](/interview-questions/community-manager/) page has questions to expect on the other side of that conversation.

## How is a community manager different from a social media manager in a job description?

A social media manager job description centers on publishing: content calendars, posts, paid social and channel growth. A community manager job description centers on conversation: replies, moderation, programs and members. Many brands combine the two, so read the "what you'll do" list. If most lines are about creating and scheduling posts, it's a social role. If most are about members, replies and programs, it's a community role. Compare with our [social media manager job description](/career-guides/social-media-manager-job-description/).

## How do you use a community manager job description when applying?

Treat the posting as a checklist for your resume and your first interview. Find the platforms it names, the kind of community and the measures, then show evidence for each.

1. **Match the platform.** If it says Discord, mention the Discord server you moderated, even a volunteer one.
2. **Match the community type.** Brand, product or member experience reads differently; lead with the closest one.
3. **Show a measure.** "Grew active members from [number] to [number]" or "cut median reply time to [time]".
4. **Bring a member quote or two** to the interview. It shows you listen.

When you describe your community work, say it the way you'd describe it to a friend who's never heard of the server. They're hiring someone to talk to people all day, so your natural voice is part of the evidence.

Some states now require a pay range in job postings, and Virginia and Maine added the rule in 2026 ([Cooley's summary of new state pay transparency laws](https://www.cooley.com/news/insight/2026/2026-07-06-show-me-the-money-or-the-wage-range-new-state-pay-transparency-laws)). If you're hiring, check the rules where the role is based.

## FAQ

### What qualifications does a community manager need?

Most postings ask for experience running or moderating a community, strong writing and good judgment in difficult conversations. A degree in communications or marketing is common but rarely the deciding factor. A community you built or moderated, even as a volunteer, is strong evidence.

### Is community manager an entry-level job?

Sometimes. Community coordinator or community associate roles are the usual entry point, and some smaller brands hire community managers with one or two years of social or customer-facing experience. Senior and lead roles expect several years and a community you grew.

### What tools do community managers use?

It depends on where the community lives: social listening and publishing tools for brand communities, Discord or forum moderation tools for product communities, and event and membership platforms for member communities. List only the ones you've used for real work.

### Do community managers work weekends?

Often some, because communities don't keep office hours. Good postings say so and explain how coverage is shared. It's a fair question to ask in a first interview.

### What should a community manager resume include?

The communities you looked after, their size and platforms, the programs you ran and one or two measures for each. Add a quote or example of a tricky situation you handled well. Our [marketing resume](/career-guides/marketing-resume/) guide covers structure and bullets.

## More on Community manager

- [Community manager](https://knowtheroom.ai/career-guides/community-manager.md)
- [Community manager interview questions](https://knowtheroom.ai/interview-questions/community-manager.md)
- [Social media jobs](https://knowtheroom.ai/career-guides/social-media-jobs.md)
- [Community manager resume](https://knowtheroom.ai/career-guides/community-manager-resume.md)
- [Community manager cover letter](https://knowtheroom.ai/cover-letters/community-manager.md)