6 free templates across change manager, specialist, consultant, IT/ITIL, senior lead, and director roles, with the organizational-versus-IT distinction the generic template farms blur. Download as DOCX.
A change management job description has one distinction the generic template farms blur: change management is two different professions. Organizational change management is the people side of change, helping employees adopt new processes and systems. IT or ITIL change management is an IT-operations function controlling changes to systems through a Change Advisory Board. Same words, different jobs, different credentials, and a posting that mixes them confuses candidates from both fields.
At FirstHR, we build templates that draw that line clearly and add the FLSA classification the boilerplate skips, with an honest note on who actually hires this role and how a small business handles change without one. The six below cover change manager, specialist, consultant, IT, senior lead, and director versions. The guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
TL;DR
Change management is two professions: organizational change management (the people side, helping employees adopt new processes and systems) and IT/ITIL change management (controlling changes to systems via a Change Advisory Board). Both are exempt, six-figure, enterprise and consulting roles, not typical small-business hires. At small scale, change management is a practice woven into onboarding and training, not a role. Pick the right version and download six as DOCX.
What a Change Manager Does
A change manager leads the people side of organizational change: preparing, supporting, and equipping employees to adopt changes to processes, systems, technology, and structure, so those changes deliver their intended results rather than stalling because people were not brought along.
There is no dedicated federal occupation code for change management; the nearest is management analysts, which lists organizational development consultant among its sample titles and notes most work as consultants on a contractual basis. The role concentrates in large enterprises, consulting firms, and government.
Organizational vs IT Change Management
Before writing anything, decide which of the two change-management professions you mean, because they share a name but little else.
Organizational change management (OCM)
The people side of change
Prepares, supports, and equips employees to adopt changes to processes, systems, and structure. This is the HR and organizational-development reading, and it is what most of these job descriptions mean.
IT / ITIL change management
The systems side of change
Controls and coordinates changes to IT systems and infrastructure so they happen safely, usually through a Change Advisory Board and an ITSM tool. A different role with the same name, owned by IT operations.
People or Systems?
The quickest test: are you changing how people work, or changing the technology itself? Helping employees adopt new processes and systems points to organizational change management (Prosci, ADKAR). Safely controlling changes to IT infrastructure points to IT/ITIL change management (Change Advisory Board, ServiceNow). Pick one before writing the posting.
Change Manager Duties and Responsibilities
For organizational change management, the duties cluster into four areas: strategy and planning, people and adoption, stakeholders, and tracking and reporting. The IT version replaces much of this with change-request control and Change Advisory Board work.
The clearest way to write a strong change management posting is to be explicit about which of the two professions it is. Here is how they differ across the dimensions that matter for hiring.
Organizational (OCM)
IT / ITIL
Manages change to
People, processes, and structure
IT systems and infrastructure
Core work
Communication, training, adoption
Change requests, risk, scheduling
Key mechanism
Stakeholder and adoption plans
Change Advisory Board (CAB)
Typical credential
Prosci ADKAR, CCMP
ITIL
Owned by
HR, organizational development, PMO
IT operations / service management
The takeaway: a generic template that blurs the two attracts mismatched candidates from both fields. Pick the version that fits and write the duties, credentials, and tools to match.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by type and level: change manager for an OCM generalist, specialist for hands-on support, consultant for client advisory, IT for the ITIL role, senior lead for a major program, and director for the leadership role. Use this guide to choose.
Change Manager
OCM generalist
The general organizational change management version, leading the people side of change, with the FLSA exempt note built in.
Change Management Specialist
Hands-on support
For a specialist building change materials and tracking adoption within a larger change team.
Change Management Consultant
Advises clients
For a consulting-firm or contract role advising client organizations on change programs.
IT Change Manager (ITIL)
Systems, CAB
For the IT-operations role running the change-control process and Change Advisory Board. A different role from OCM.
Senior Change Management Lead
Major program
For an experienced lead owning change for a major program and guiding other practitioners.
Change Management Director
Leads the function
For the leadership role that sets the enterprise change approach and manages a team.
Match the Template to the Role
Leading the people side of change: Change Manager. Hands-on support: Specialist. Advising clients: Consultant. Controlling IT system changes: IT Change Manager. A major program: Senior Lead. Leading the function: Director. Whichever you pick, classify as exempt and match the certification (Prosci/CCMP for organizational, ITIL for IT).
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company overview, position summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, a compliance note, and how to apply. Fill in the brackets, set the reporting line, and post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
Change manager, specialist, consultant, IT/ITIL, senior lead, and director. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Change Manager (Organizational)
The general organizational change management version, leading the people side of change, with the FLSA exempt note built in.
Change Manager Job Description
CHANGE MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Head of Transformation / HR / PMO Director]
Employment type: Full-time
FLSA status: Exempt (salaried)
Compensation: $_____ per year
ABOUT [COMPANY NAME]
[Company Name] is a [industry] organization in [City, State]. We are hiring a
Change Manager to lead the people side of major changes to our processes,
systems, and structure.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Change Manager leads organizational change management: preparing,
supporting, and equipping employees to adopt changes to business processes,
systems, technology, and structure. The role drives adoption, reduces
resistance, and helps changes deliver their intended results.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Develop and execute change management plans for initiatives
•Assess change impact, readiness, and stakeholder groups
•Build communication, training, and adoption plans
•Identify and manage resistance and risks
•Coach managers and sponsors through change
•Define and track adoption and success metrics
•Coordinate with project, HR, and business teams
•Report on change progress and outcomes
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Bachelor's degree; master's or MBA a plus
•Experience leading organizational change initiatives
•Knowledge of a change methodology (such as ADKAR)
•Strong communication, facilitation, and stakeholder skills
Exempt (salaried) under the FLSA executive exemption, since the role manages a
team and sets strategy. The salary basis is easily met, and the role typically
exceeds the highly compensated employee threshold. This is general information,
not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_____ per year
To apply, email __ with your resume.
FLSA and Certification
The compliance picture for a change manager is mostly straightforward on the classification side, but worth stating plainly since the generic templates skip it. Four points belong in the hiring decision.
Almost always exempt
A change manager is exempt from overtime in nearly all cases, meaning salaried and not entitled to overtime pay. The basis is usually the learned professional exemption (the role applies advanced knowledge of change management acquired through specialized study) or the administrative exemption (the work relates to management and general business operations and involves independent judgment on matters of significance). A change management director who manages a team also meets the executive exemption. Given the pay levels typical for these roles, the salary basis is met with a wide margin, so the duties carry the classification. The one place to look twice is a junior specialist role paid near the threshold that mainly executes defined tasks. This is general information, not legal advice.
The salary basis is easily met
The federal salary threshold for exempt status is $684 a week, which is $35,568 a year, with a separate highly compensated employee threshold of $107,432 a year that simplifies the analysis at higher pay. Change management roles typically pay well into the six figures, far above both thresholds, so the salary test is rarely the issue and the duties test does the real work. Several states (California, New York, Washington) set higher thresholds, but at change-management pay levels those are also comfortably exceeded. The role still must be paid on a true salary basis to keep the exemption, rather than docked by the hour. This is general information, not legal advice.
Certification is preferred, not usually required
Change management roles often list certifications such as Prosci ADKAR, CCMP, PMP, or ITIL, but these are usually preferred rather than strictly required: industry analysis suggests fewer than a third of postings strictly require a certification, with proven experience and a bachelor's degree weighing more. The Prosci ADKAR certification is a premium, enterprise-oriented credential, and ITIL applies specifically to the IT change-management version, not organizational change. List the certification as preferred and weigh demonstrated experience alongside it rather than screening solely on the credential. This is general information, not legal advice.
If you engage a consultant, classify the relationship correctly
Change management consultants are often engaged as independent contractors or through consulting firms rather than as employees. If you bring in a change consultant as a contractor, the employee-versus-contractor line still matters: under the federal economic-realities test, a worker you direct and who is economically dependent on your business may be an employee regardless of what the agreement says, and some states apply a stricter ABC test. Misclassifying a long-term, directed worker as a contractor carries liability. For a genuine project-based consulting engagement, contractor status is usually appropriate, but classify by the actual relationship. This is general information, not legal advice.
For an established change manager, consultant, or director, exempt status is rarely in doubt: the duties clearly meet a white-collar exemption and the pay clears the salary basis with room to spare. The only place to check carefully is a junior change management specialist paid near the threshold who mainly executes defined tasks under direction, which could be non-exempt. Classify by duties, not the title. This is general information, not legal advice.
Requirements and Qualifications
Most change management roles expect a bachelor's degree plus relevant experience, with a methodology certification preferred and the specifics shifting by type. Match the requirements to the version you are hiring.
Requirement
What to know
Education
Bachelor's the floor; master's/MBA common for senior
Preferred, not usually required; experience weighs more
Classification
Exempt (salaried); confirm at junior specialist level
Keep the posting neutral and inclusive, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics, and the SHRM guide covers the standard sections of a job description.
How to Write a Change Management Job Description
A strong change management posting starts by deciding organizational or IT, picks the type and level, and classifies the role correctly. Here is the process the templates are built around.
1
Decide organizational or IT
Organizational change management is the people side of change; IT/ITIL change management controls changes to systems. They are different jobs; pick one.
2
Pick the type and level
Change manager, specialist, consultant, IT, senior lead, or director. Pick the matching template and describe your organization and the change work plainly.
3
List the real duties
Strategy, people and adoption, stakeholders, and tracking, with the specifics for your type: ADKAR planning for OCM, the Change Advisory Board for IT.
4
Classify as exempt
A change manager is almost always exempt under the learned professional or administrative exemption; the salary basis is easily met. Confirm duties; look twice at a junior specialist.
5
Set pay and certification
Benchmark to type, industry, and seniority, list the relevant certification (Prosci/CCMP for OCM, ITIL for IT) as preferred, and give a good-faith range where required.
Change management roles are paid well into the six figures, reflecting the enterprise and consulting settings where they concentrate.
A Six-Figure, Enterprise Band
There is no federal wage code for change management; the nearest benchmark, management analysts, had a median wage of about $101,190 a year as of May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent under about $59,720 and the highest 10 percent over about $174,140 (BLS). Self-reported data places dedicated change roles higher, into the $115k to $157k+ range.
Self-reported market data commonly puts change management specialists around the $115,000s, senior specialists and consultants in the $155,000s, and IT change management specialists around the $126,000s, with directors higher. Because the management-analyst benchmark is broader than change management alone, it likely understates dedicated change roles. For a posting, benchmark to the specific title, industry, and seniority, and provide a good-faith range where pay transparency rules apply. National compensation surveys are a useful reference for detail.
Change Management for a Small Business
The change management hire turns on three things the generic templates get wrong: the title covers two different professions, it is an enterprise and consulting role rather than a small-business hire, and at small scale change management is a practice rather than a role. Here is what actually matters.
Decide whether you mean organizational or IT change management, because they are different jobs
The phrase change management points to two different professions that happen to share a name, and the generic templates that rank for the term blur them. Organizational change management, the dominant reading, is the people side of change: a change manager prepares, supports, and equips employees to adopt new processes, systems, and structures, using communication, training, stakeholder engagement, and adoption planning, often with a methodology like Prosci ADKAR. IT or ITIL change management is something else entirely: an IT-operations function that controls and coordinates changes to IT systems and infrastructure so they are made safely, usually through a Change Advisory Board and an ITSM tool like ServiceNow, with an ITIL credential rather than a change-methodology one. They share the word change but the work, the credentials, the systems, and the candidates are different, and they are owned by different parts of an organization, HR or organizational development for the first, IT operations for the second. Before you write the job description, decide which one you need, because a posting that mixes them will confuse strong candidates from both fields.
This is an enterprise, consulting, and government role, not a typical small-business hire
It is worth being honest about who hires dedicated change managers, because it shapes whether the role fits your company. Formal change management functions exist where organizations are large enough and their transformations complex enough to justify a dedicated professional: large enterprises, healthcare systems, financial services, government agencies, and the consulting firms that serve them. The pay reflects that, commonly running well into the six figures, and the roles frequently ask for premium certifications and advanced degrees. A small business of a handful of people does not hire a change manager, because change at that scale is absorbed into the existing duties of an owner, an operations manager, or an IT lead, who guide the team through a new system or process directly. The role appears as a standalone hire only once an organization reaches the size, usually a few hundred employees and up, where transformations are big and frequent enough to need a specialist. If you are a small company navigating a change, you almost certainly need to lead it yourself with good communication and training rather than hire a change manager, and the practical work is closer to onboarding people onto something new than to staffing a change-management function.
At small-business scale, change management is a practice, not a hire
Even though a small business will not hire a change manager, the underlying need, helping your team adopt a new system, process, or way of working, is real, and the discipline has useful ideas you can apply without a dedicated role. The core of organizational change management is simple enough to borrow: explain why the change is happening, involve the people affected early, communicate clearly and more than once, provide training and support during the transition, and check in on how adoption is going rather than assuming the change stuck. For a small team, the owner or an operations lead can do this directly, and it overlaps heavily with good onboarding and training practice: when you roll out a new tool or process, treat it like onboarding the team onto something new, with a clear explanation, a simple guide, hands-on support, and follow-up. That is change management at small-business scale, a practice woven into how you run the team, rather than a six-figure specialist hire. If and when you grow into needing a dedicated change function, the templates here cover the full range from specialist to director.
Key Takeaways
Change management is two different professions: organizational change management (the people side of adopting new processes and systems) and IT/ITIL change management (controlling changes to systems via a Change Advisory Board). Decide which you mean first.
Both are exempt, six-figure roles concentrated in large enterprises, consulting firms, and government, with premium certifications and advanced degrees common; they are not typical small-business hires.
A small business does not hire a change manager; change at that scale is absorbed into an owner, operations manager, or IT lead's existing duties.
At small-business scale, change management is a practice, explain the why, involve people early, communicate repeatedly, train and support, and follow up, closely related to good onboarding and training.
A change manager is almost always exempt under the learned professional or administrative exemption; the one to look at twice is a junior specialist paid near the threshold.
Certifications like Prosci ADKAR, CCMP, and ITIL are usually preferred rather than required; proven experience and a bachelor's degree weigh more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a change manager do?
A change manager leads the people side of organizational change: preparing, supporting, and equipping employees to adopt changes to business processes, systems, technology, and structure, so those changes actually deliver their intended results. The duties cluster into four areas: strategy and planning (developing change plans, assessing impact and readiness, defining success metrics), people and adoption (building communication and training plans, coaching managers and sponsors, managing resistance), stakeholders (mapping and engaging stakeholder groups, facilitating sessions, aligning teams), and tracking and reporting (tracking adoption, managing risks, reporting outcomes). The goal is to drive adoption and reduce resistance so a change sticks rather than failing because people were not brought along. This is distinct from IT or ITIL change management, which controls changes to IT systems through a Change Advisory Board. This page includes general, specialist, consultant, IT, senior lead, and director templates. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the difference between organizational and IT change management?
They share a name but are different professions. Organizational change management, the dominant reading, is the people side of change: a change manager helps employees adopt new processes, systems, and structures through communication, training, stakeholder engagement, and adoption planning, often using a methodology like Prosci ADKAR, and it is owned by HR, organizational development, or a PMO. IT or ITIL change management is an IT-operations function that controls and coordinates changes to IT systems and infrastructure so they are made safely, usually through a Change Advisory Board and an ITSM tool like ServiceNow, and it uses an ITIL credential rather than a change-methodology one. The simplest test: organizational change management is about changing how people work, while IT change management is about safely changing the technology itself. The generic templates that rank for change management tend to blur the two, which is why a posting should pick one clearly. Decide which function you are hiring for before you write the job description. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do small businesses hire change managers?
Rarely. A dedicated change manager exists where an organization is large enough and its transformations complex and frequent enough to justify a specialist, which typically means a few hundred employees and up: large enterprises, healthcare systems, financial services, government agencies, and the consulting firms that serve them. The pay commonly runs well into the six figures, and the roles often ask for premium certifications and advanced degrees, all signals of an enterprise function. A small business of a handful of people does not hire a change manager, because change at that scale is absorbed into the existing duties of an owner, an operations manager, or an IT lead who guides the team through a new system or process directly. That does not mean the underlying need disappears: helping a team adopt a new tool or process is real at any size. It just means that at small-business scale, change management is a practice you apply yourself, closely related to good onboarding and training, rather than a role you hire for. If you grow into a dedicated change function, the templates here cover specialist through director. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is a change manager exempt or non-exempt from overtime?
A change manager is exempt in nearly all cases, meaning salaried and not entitled to overtime. The basis is usually the FLSA learned professional exemption, since the role applies advanced knowledge of change management typically acquired through specialized study and certification, or the administrative exemption, since the work relates to management and general business operations and involves independent judgment on matters of significance. A change management director who manages a team also meets the executive exemption. Because these roles commonly pay well into the six figures, far above the $684-a-week federal salary threshold and often above the highly compensated employee threshold of $107,432 a year, the salary basis is met easily and the duties test does the real work. The one scenario worth a second look is a junior change management specialist paid near the threshold who mainly executes defined tasks under direction, which could be non-exempt. Classify by the actual duties and pay, not the title. This is general information, not legal advice.
What certifications does a change manager need?
Change management roles often list certifications, but they are usually preferred rather than strictly required. The most common is Prosci, which teaches the ADKAR model and is a premium, enterprise-oriented credential widely used by large organizations. Others include the CCMP (Certified Change Management Professional) from ACMP, the PMP for the project-management dimension, and ITIL specifically for the IT change-management version rather than organizational change. That said, industry analysis suggests fewer than a third of change management postings strictly require any certification; proven experience leading change and a bachelor's degree tend to weigh more heavily. The practical approach for a job description is to list the relevant certification as preferred, match it to the type of role (a change methodology like Prosci or CCMP for organizational change, ITIL for IT change), and weigh demonstrated experience alongside the credential rather than screening candidates solely on whether they hold it. This is general information, not legal advice.
What skills and qualifications should a change manager have?
Most change manager roles expect a bachelor's degree, often a master's or MBA for senior roles, plus experience leading or supporting change initiatives, and the core skills are communication, facilitation, stakeholder management, and the ability to plan and drive adoption. On the methodology side, familiarity with a structured change approach such as Prosci ADKAR is commonly expected, with certification preferred. The specifics shift by type: a change management specialist needs strong writing and materials-building skills for communications and training, a change management consultant needs client-facing and multi-engagement skills, an IT change manager needs IT service management experience and familiarity with an ITSM tool and ITIL, and senior leads and directors add leadership, influence, and the ability to coach senior sponsors. Across all of them, the heart of the role is helping people through change, so emotional intelligence, communication, and influence matter as much as the methodology. Match the listed qualifications to the specific type and seniority you are hiring rather than using a generic list. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a change manager make?
Change management roles are paid well into the six figures, reflecting the enterprise and consulting settings where they concentrate. Estimates vary by source and by the specific title, but self-reported market data commonly puts change management specialists around the $115,000s, senior specialists and consultants in the $155,000s, organizational change management consultants around the $157,000s, and IT change management specialists around the $126,000s, with directors higher. There is no dedicated federal wage code for change management; the nearest official benchmark is management analysts, which had a median wage of about $101,190 a year as of May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent under about $59,720 and the highest 10 percent over about $174,140, and most working as consultants on a contractual basis. Because that benchmark is broader than change management alone, it likely understates the pay of dedicated change roles, which the self-reported figures place higher. For a posting, benchmark to the specific title, industry, and seniority, and provide a good-faith range where pay transparency rules apply. National compensation surveys are a useful reference. This is general information, not legal advice.
How do small businesses handle change without a change manager?
At small-business scale, change management is a practice rather than a hire, and the discipline's core ideas are simple enough to apply directly. When you roll out a new system, process, or way of working, the essentials are: explain why the change is happening so people understand the reason, involve the people affected early rather than announcing it as a surprise, communicate clearly and repeatedly because one message is rarely enough, provide training and hands-on support during the transition, and follow up afterward to check that the change actually took hold rather than assuming it did. For a small team, the owner or an operations lead can lead this directly, and it overlaps heavily with good onboarding and training: rolling out a new tool to your team is much like onboarding them onto something new, with a clear explanation, a simple guide, support, and follow-up. Treating internal change like onboarding, with the same structure and care, is effectively change management at small-business scale, and it is far more practical than hiring a six-figure specialist your company does not yet need. This is general information, not legal advice.
