# Digital Marketing Manager Job Description: Template and What the Job Involves

> A digital marketing manager plans and runs a company's marketing across online channels, such as paid search, paid social, SEO, email and the website, and answers for what those channels return. They set the digital plan and budget, manage specialists or agencies, run tests and report results. Below is a job description template you can adapt and a plain account of the work.

Canonical: https://knowtheroom.ai/career-guides/digital-marketing-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 digital marketing manager plans and runs a company's marketing across online channels such as paid search, paid social, SEO, email and the website.
- A digital marketing manager owns the digital plan and budget, manages specialists or agencies, runs tests and reports what each channel returns.
- The digital marketing manager role changes with company size: at a small company it is hands-on across channels, at a large one it manages channel leads.
- A digital marketing manager job description is most useful as a checklist: match each responsibility to a result on your resume before you apply.

## What does a digital marketing manager do?

A digital marketing manager owns a company's online marketing channels and the results they produce. They decide how the digital budget is split, run campaigns across channels, and report what each one delivered in traffic, leads or sales.

The channels usually include some mix of:

- **Paid search.** Search ads, shopping ads and the keywords, bids and landing pages behind them.
- **Paid social.** Ads on platforms such as Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn or YouTube.
- **SEO.** Organic search traffic, often with an [SEO specialist](/career-guides/seo-specialist-job-description/) or agency.
- **Email and lifecycle.** Newsletters, automated journeys and offers to existing customers.
- **The website.** Landing pages, conversion rates and the tracking that measures everything else.
- **Organic social and content.** Sometimes; at other companies this sits with a social media or content team.

What makes it a manager role is ownership of the plan, the budget and the numbers. Specialists run individual channels; the digital marketing manager decides how the channels work together and where the next dollar goes.

## Digital marketing manager job description template

Copy this and replace the [brackets]. List only the channels the person will really own; a posting that lists every channel reads as "we don't know what we need".

```text
Job title: Digital Marketing Manager, [Focus if any: e.g. Acquisition / E-commerce / B2B]

About [Company]
[Two sentences: what the company sells, to whom, and how it sells online: e-commerce, sign-ups, lead generation for a sales team.]

About the role
We're hiring a Digital Marketing Manager to grow [the main metric: e.g. online revenue / qualified leads / app installs] through [channels]. You'll report to [title], manage [specialists / agency / freelancers] and own a digital budget of [range or "a budget"]. In your first six months you'll [one concrete goal, e.g. bring paid acquisition in house and cut cost per acquisition].

What you'll do
- Build and run the digital marketing plan across [channels: e.g. paid search, paid social, SEO, email].
- Manage the digital budget and move spend between channels based on results.
- Plan and launch campaigns with [creative / content / product] teams.
- Manage [specialists / agency partners] and hold them to clear targets.
- Run tests on [audiences / creative / landing pages / offers] and roll out what works.
- Own tracking and reporting in [tools: e.g. GA4, Looker Studio, the ad platforms], and make sure the data is trustworthy.
- Report results to [audience] each [week / month] with clear recommendations.

What you'll bring
- [X]+ years in digital marketing, including hands-on management of [the most important channel].
- A record of campaigns you planned, budgeted and measured, with results you can explain.
- Experience managing ad spend across several platforms.
- Working knowledge of analytics, tracking and attribution.
- Experience managing specialists, freelancers or an agency.
- Clear writing for briefs and reports.

Nice to have
- Experience in [industry or business model].
- [A specific skill: e.g. marketing automation, conversion rate optimization, retail media, SQL].

How we'll measure success
- [Metric 1: e.g. revenue or leads from digital channels]
- [Metric 2: e.g. cost per acquisition or return on ad spend against target]
- [Metric 3: e.g. website conversion rate]
- [Metric 4: e.g. email-driven repeat purchases]

Pay and benefits
[Salary range], [benefits], [location / hybrid / remote].
```

Notes for hiring managers using it:

- **Name the main channel.** Someone strong in paid social and someone strong in SEO are different hires. Say which matters most.
- **State the budget size.** Managing a small budget and a large one are different jobs, and candidates use it to judge the level.
- **Say what's in house and what's at an agency.** It changes how hands-on the role is.
- **Include the pay range.** Some US states and cities require one in postings; check the rules where you're hiring.

## What does a digital marketing manager do day to day?

A digital marketing manager spends the week between performance data, campaign work and the people running each channel. A typical week might look like this:

| When | What's happening |
|---|---|
| Monday | Review weekend performance across channels; adjust budgets; set the week's priorities |
| Tuesday | Brief creative for next month's paid social; review landing page tests |
| Wednesday | Agency call on paid search; one-to-one with the email specialist |
| Thursday | Investigate a tracking issue; plan the next test |
| Friday | Write the weekly results summary for leadership; plan next week |

At a small company you'll build the ads and emails yourself. At a large one you'll manage specialists, agencies and more reporting.

## How does the digital marketing manager role vary?

The title covers a range of jobs depending on how the company sells. Reading which version a posting means helps you judge fit.

| Version | What it focuses on | Common at |
|---|---|---|
| E-commerce digital marketing manager | Online revenue, paid shopping and social, email, conversion rate | Retail and direct-to-consumer brands |
| B2B digital marketing manager | Leads and pipeline, paid search, LinkedIn, content, marketing automation | Software, professional services |
| Performance or acquisition manager | Paid channels and cost per acquisition | Apps, subscriptions, marketplaces |
| Generalist digital marketing manager | All online channels, often hands-on | Small and mid-sized companies |
| Agency digital marketing manager | Digital campaigns across several clients | Agencies |

The [brand vs performance marketing](/career-guides/brand-vs-performance-marketing/) guide explains why many digital roles lean heavily toward performance. For the broader role, see the [marketing manager job description](/career-guides/marketing-manager-job-description/).

## How do director and head of digital marketing job descriptions differ?

A director or head of digital marketing description moves from running channels to owning the whole digital plan, budget and team. Expect these differences:

| | Digital marketing manager | Director or head of digital marketing |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | A set of channels and their results | All digital channels, the budget split and the roadmap |
| Team | Specialists or agencies | Managers and specialists, plus agency relationships |
| Measured on | Channel targets and cost per result | Digital revenue or pipeline, efficiency and growth |
| Works with | Content, creative, sales | Leadership team, finance, product, ecommerce |

If you're stepping up, rewrite your resume around budget decisions and team results, not channel tasks. The [marketing director job description](/career-guides/marketing-director-job-description/) shows the next level.

## What skills does a digital marketing manager need?

A digital marketing manager needs hands-on channel knowledge, comfort with data and the ability to manage budgets and people. These are what postings ask for.

- **Channel expertise.** Real depth in at least one paid or organic channel, and working knowledge of the rest.
- **Analytics and tracking.** Setting up conversion tracking, reading dashboards and spotting when the data is wrong.
- **Budget management.** Planning spend, pacing it and moving it to what's working.
- **Testing.** Designing fair tests and acting on the results.
- **Creative judgment.** Briefing and choosing ads, emails and landing pages that perform.
- **Managing people.** Directing specialists, freelancers or agencies.

Our [marketing skills](/career-guides/marketing-skills/) page covers how to show skills like these on a resume.

## Who does a digital marketing manager report to?

Usually a marketing director, head of growth or VP of marketing. At smaller companies, a digital marketing manager may report to the CEO or founder. They often manage channel specialists, such as a paid media specialist, an SEO specialist or an email marketer, plus agencies.

## How is a digital marketing manager measured?

On what digital channels return for what they cost. The exact metrics depend on the business model, which is why a good posting names them.

- **E-commerce:** online revenue, return on ad spend, conversion rate, repeat purchase.
- **B2B:** leads, qualified pipeline, cost per lead or opportunity.
- **Apps and subscriptions:** installs or sign-ups, cost per acquisition, retention.
- **Every role:** spending to budget and the accuracy of the reporting.

The [marketing KPIs](/guides/marketing-kpis/) guide covers these by goal, and the [glossary](/glossary/) defines each metric.

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

Read the posting for its main channel, business model and goal, then show results that match. Digital hiring managers look for numbers: what you spent, what it returned and what you changed.

1. **Find the main channel and metric.** Usually in the role summary and the first responsibilities.
2. **Match your results.** A resume line for each with the budget, the change you made and the result.
3. **Know their channels.** Look at the company's ads, site and emails before the interview so you can discuss what you'd test.
4. **Prepare for the questions.** The [digital marketing interview questions](/interview-questions/digital-marketing/) page covers what you'll be asked. Use the example answers as a checklist, then explain your own campaigns in your own words; a hiring manager wants to hear how you think, not a script.

Recon can help with step 2: paste the posting and your resume, and it suggests line-by-line rewrites that use only facts already on your resume.

## FAQ

### What's the difference between a digital marketing manager and a marketing manager?

A digital marketing manager focuses on online channels and their measurable results. A marketing manager may own a broader mix, including events, brand campaigns, partnerships or offline media, or a product line across all channels. At many companies the roles overlap.

### What qualifications does a digital marketing manager need?

Postings often ask for a bachelor's degree and several years of hands-on digital marketing. Platform certifications can help early in a career, but results you can show matter more. Our guide on [how to become a digital marketing manager](/career-guides/how-to-become-a-digital-marketing-manager/) covers the usual path.

### What does a digital marketing manager earn?

It varies with location, industry and experience. Our [digital marketing salary](/career-salaries/digital-marketing/) page has US government figures and explains which groups the role falls into.

### Is digital marketing manager an entry-level job?

No. Most people start as a coordinator or a specialist in one channel and move up after a few years of results, which is a clear, well-worn path you can start on from a first role. Small companies sometimes use the title for a less experienced generalist.

### What should a digital marketing manager cover letter focus on?

One or two results that match the posting's main channel and goal, with the numbers. The [digital marketing cover letter](/cover-letters/digital-marketing/) page has an example.

## More on Digital marketing

- [Digital marketing manager](https://knowtheroom.ai/career-guides/how-to-become-a-digital-marketing-manager.md)
- [Digital marketing resume](https://knowtheroom.ai/career-guides/digital-marketing-resume.md)
- [Digital marketing cover letter](https://knowtheroom.ai/cover-letters/digital-marketing.md)
- [Digital marketing interview questions](https://knowtheroom.ai/interview-questions/digital-marketing.md)
- [Digital marketing salary](https://knowtheroom.ai/career-salaries/digital-marketing.md)
- [Digital marketing specialist](https://knowtheroom.ai/career-guides/digital-marketing-specialist.md)
- [How to get a job in digital marketing](https://knowtheroom.ai/career-guides/how-to-get-a-job-in-digital-marketing.md)
- [Digital marketing certifications](https://knowtheroom.ai/career-guides/digital-marketing-certifications.md)
- [Marketing specialist job description](https://knowtheroom.ai/career-guides/marketing-specialist-job-description.md)
- [Marketing specialist cover letter](https://knowtheroom.ai/cover-letters/marketing-specialist.md)
- [Marketing specialist resume](https://knowtheroom.ai/career-guides/marketing-specialist-resume.md)
- [Marketing specialist interview questions](https://knowtheroom.ai/interview-questions/marketing-specialist.md)
- [Digital marketing jobs](https://knowtheroom.ai/career-guides/digital-marketing-jobs.md)
- [Digital marketing degree](https://knowtheroom.ai/career-guides/digital-marketing-degree.md)
- [Marketing specialist jobs](https://knowtheroom.ai/career-guides/marketing-specialist-jobs.md)