How to hire a Community Relations Manager

How to hire a community relations manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step community relations manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a community relations manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new community relations manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Community Relations Manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a community relations manager, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A community relations manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, community relations managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents community relations manager salaries for various positions.

   Type Of Community Relations Manager	Description	Hourly Rate
   Community Relations Manager	Public relations managers plan and direct the creation of material that will maintain or enhance the public image of their employer or client. Fundraising managers coordinate campaigns that bring in donations for their organization.	$22-51
   Media Director	A media director spearheads and oversees a company's entire media-related activities, including marketing and advertising campaigns. They are in charge of setting goals and guidelines, liaising and building positive relationships with external parties, conceptualizing plans for projects and campaigns, and developing strategies to optimize operations... Show More	$35-82
   Director Of Public Affairs	Directors of Public Affairs are executives who manage the public relations and communications initiatives of the company. They oversee all external communications that are intended for broadcast... Show More	$33-89

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Patients
   • Medicare
   • Business Development
   • Community Events
   • Health Fairs
   • Local Community
   • Hospice Services
   • Marketing Presentations
   • Press Releases
   • CRM
   • Community Relations
   • Event Planning
   • PowerPoint
   • External Communications

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage social networking, such as Facebook.
   • Plan and execute project grand openings and manage all social media platforms (Facebook/Twitter )
   • Manage the creation and display of both user-generate and resort-developed videos for YouTube.
   • Maintain strong working relationships across all departments to manage successful on-site opportunities, content and multimedia asset development and spokesperson requests.
   • Provide a strong database of community, affordable housing and economic development opportunities for bank to meet CRA goals.
   • Provide continuing education to patients and families regarding palliative/hospice care services and placement options.

   More Community Relations Manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the community relations manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A community relations manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a community relations manager in Alabama may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level community relations manager. Additionally, a community relations manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average community relations manager salary

   $71,899yearly

   $34.57 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level community relations manager salary

   $47,000 yearly salary

   Updated March 27, 2025

   Average community relations manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	District of Columbia	$91,393	$44
   2	Massachusetts	$87,340	$42
   3	Iowa	$86,464	$42
   4	Nebraska	$84,616	$41
   5	New York	$83,344	$40
   6	New Mexico	$82,906	$40
   7	Arizona	$82,427	$40
   8	Ohio	$82,038	$39
   9	Illinois	$81,943	$39
   10	North Carolina	$80,348	$39
   11	California	$79,528	$38
   12	Virginia	$77,896	$37
   13	Nevada	$75,472	$36
   14	Colorado	$74,472	$36
   15	Washington	$73,874	$36
   16	Pennsylvania	$72,986	$35
   17	Georgia	$69,730	$34
   18	Indiana	$68,622	$33
   19	Kentucky	$68,040	$33
   20	Oregon	$65,438	$31

   Average community relations manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	NVIDIA	$112,669	$54.17	2
   2	Edelman Financial Engines	$111,006	$53.37	2
   3	Connecticut Children's Medical Center	$104,232	$50.11	4
   4	Yelp	$103,706	$49.86	9
   5	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$99,998	$48.08	35
   6	Algolia	$99,391	$47.78
   7	Snowflake Computing	$97,759	$47.00	2
   8	Crown Castle International	$96,044	$46.17
   9	Amazon	$95,235	$45.79	129
   10	Turo	$93,996	$45.19
   11	Highmark	$93,614	$45.01	7
   12	Essex Property Trust	$93,504	$44.95	3
   13	Tastemade	$91,939	$44.20
   14	L.A. Care Health Plan	$91,198	$43.85
   15	Excellus BCBS	$89,851	$43.20	1
   16	Intel	$88,531	$42.56	5
   17	Creative Artists Agency	$88,435	$42.52
   18	Prologis	$86,744	$41.70	1
   19	Clark Construction Group	$85,409	$41.06
   20	Gilbane Building Company	$84,774	$40.76

4. Writing a Community Relations Manager Job Description

   A job description for a community relations manager role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a community relations manager job description:

   Community Relations Manager job description example

   Headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, RHP Properties (www.rhp.com) is the nation's largest private owner and operator of manufactured home communities. With more than 360 communities throughout 30 states, we continue to expand our footprint to provide accessible and affordable housing across the country. All of this would not be possible without the energy and drive of our talented employees! We invest in our employees, with regular training, opportunities for advancement, and fun events to bring everyone together.

   We are presently seeking a Community Manager for our Holiday Estates located in Grand Rapids, MI to manage the daily administration, operation, and personnel of the manufactured home community in an efficient, professional, and profitable manner.

   As a Community Manager, you will:

   • Manage and deposit daily collection of all monthly rentals, late fees, etc.
   • Pursue delinquent rents and perform evictions within State and landlord laws and attend court proceedings as required.
   • Hire, train, motivate and manage onsite staff to ensure deadlines are met. Administer discipline with proper documentation.
   • Demonstrate leadership in corporate attitude, communication skills, and professional appearance. Exemplify adherence to company policies and procedures.
   • Inspect the community grounds and community-owned homes to maintain a presentable appearance.
   • Manage and assign tasks to the maintenance staff through the use of the Maintenance Work Order system.
   • Enter lead information in the Lead Tracker System and complete guest cards.
   • Process, approve, and forward invoices in a timely manner to the Corporate Office; maintain petty cash; keep track of all expenses and receipts.
   • Maintain employees’ files, timesheets, and records to coordinate accurate compensation and benefits.
   • Analyze and audit daily, weekly, and monthly reports and address any issues or incorrect information

   Company DescriptionRHP Properties is an accomplished real estate investment firm specializing in the acquisition and professional management of manufactured home communities. We own and manage a total of 303 manufactured home communities with 71,783 sites spanning 29 states, with a combined value of approximately $6+ billion. We are the largest private owners in the industry.
   
   Our organization's success stems from the ability to effectively target and acquire well-located Manufactured Home Communities, whose value can be enhanced through RHP’s comprehensive and competent management. RHP is committed to creating a wonderful environment where our residents always enjoy a well-maintained and attractive community.
   
   RHP Properties is America's Home.
   Live Life. Live it Here.

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right community relations manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with community relations managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit community relations managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your community relations manager job on Zippia to find and recruit community relations manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with community relations manager candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new community relations manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect community relations manager candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a community relations manager?