6 templates for small business, social, online, junior, and senior roles, with the FLSA classification notes no competitor includes. Download as DOCX.
The community manager job description covers a role that means different things to different companies. For most brands it is a marketing role: the online voice of the brand across social and community channels. The same title can also mean a junior social coordinator or a senior strategist who owns the whole function, and at a small business it usually means one person doing all of it at once.
At FirstHR, we build templates for the whole range, with two things no competitor offers: a downloadable DOCX and a clear note on FLSA classification, which for this role genuinely varies. The six templates below cover small business, brand, social media, online community, junior, and senior. Pick the one that fits, fill in the brackets, and post, and the guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
TL;DR
Six free templates: Small Business / No HR, Brand / Generic, Social Media, Online / Forum, Junior, and Senior / Lead. A community manager is the online voice of a brand. Classification varies: a junior role is usually non-exempt (hourly, overtime), a senior one may be exempt, and several states set thresholds above the federal one. In federal data the role maps to public relations specialists (SOC 27-3031), median $69,780 (May 2024).
What Does a Community Manager Do?
A community manager is the online voice of a brand, building and engaging an audience across social and community channels. The work includes creating content, responding to comments and messages, moderating discussion, running events, surfacing feedback, and tracking engagement and growth. It is a public-facing, always-on role that rewards strong writing and a feel for brand voice.
In federal data, the role maps most closely to public relations specialists (SOC 27-3031), which covers maintaining an organization's public image and social presence. The emphasis shifts by type: a social media community manager focuses on platform content and growth, an online community manager focuses on moderating a forum or Discord, and a small-business community manager combines social, community, and light support. The templates split along those lines.
Community Manager Duties and Responsibilities
A community manager's duties cluster into content and social, engagement and moderation, listening and reporting, and relationships. The mix shifts by type, but these areas hold across roles.
Content and social
Create and schedule posts, images, and video
Run the social content calendar
Keep brand voice consistent
Engagement and moderation
Respond to comments, DMs, and questions
Grow and moderate the community
Run events, AMAs, and contests
Listening and reporting
Monitor sentiment, feedback, and reviews
Track engagement, growth, and response time
Surface insights to the team
Relationships
Build ties with customers and advocates
Partner with marketing, product, and support
Maintain community guidelines
At a small business one person handles all four clusters; at a larger company they specialize. For a structured way to scope any role, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by your type and seniority. The small-business version is written for a lean first hire; the social media and online versions match different community models; and the junior and senior versions match the level you are hiring. Use this guide to choose.
Small Business / No HR
First hire, lean
The owned version no competitor offers: a combined social, community, and light support role for a small business without HR, with a classification note and onboarding planned in.
Brand / Generic
Most hirers
The universal base: the online voice of the brand across social and community channels, creating content, engaging the audience, and moderating. The starting point if no other version fits.
Social Media
Consumer / e-commerce
For a brand that lives on social: content calendar, platform growth, and engagement, often alongside paid social. Emphasis on Instagram, TikTok, and the rest.
Online / Forum
SaaS / membership
For a community-led product: a forum, Discord, Slack, or Circle space where the emphasis is moderation, member engagement, and growth rather than social media.
Junior / Entry-Level
First role, supervised
For an entry-level hire who creates content and engages the audience under guidance. Non-exempt by default, with room to grow into a senior role.
Senior / Lead
Strategy and team
For scaling: owns strategy and metrics, runs programs end to end, and may lead a small team. The role most likely to qualify as exempt.
Match the Template to Your Hire
First, lean hire at a small business: Small Business / No HR. A consumer or e-commerce brand: Social Media. A SaaS or membership community: Online / Forum. An entry-level hire: Junior. Scaling with strategy and a team: Senior / Lead. Anything else, or to start broad: Brand / Generic. Whichever you pick, classify the role by its actual duties and salary and check your state threshold.
6 Free Community Manager Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company summary, position summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, an FLSA classification note, an EEO statement, and pay. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Templates
Small business, brand, social media, online, junior, and senior. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Small Business / No HR Community Manager
The owned version no competitor offers: a combined social, community, and light support role for a small business without HR, with a classification note and onboarding planned in.
Community Manager Job Description (Small Business / No HR)
COMMUNITY MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION (SMALL BUSINESS / NO HR)
•Excellent written communication and a feel for brand voice
•Hands-on experience with the social platforms we use
•Comfortable being scrappy and wearing several hats
•Organized, responsive, and self-directed
•[1+ year in social, community, or marketing preferred]
CLASSIFICATION NOTE (read before posting)
Classify based on actual duties and pay, not the title. An early-stage,
hands-on community manager is often non-exempt (hourly, overtime
eligible), and social roles frequently work evenings and weekends,
which is compensable time. If you engage a freelancer instead, that is
a separate contractor-classification question. Check your applicable
state salary threshold, which may be higher than the federal one. This
is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer. Reasonable
accommodations are available for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Pay: $______ [hourly or annual] [+ bonus]
To apply, email __.
Template 2: Brand / Generic Community Manager
The universal base: the online voice of the brand across social and community channels, creating content, engaging the audience, and moderating. The starting point if no other version fits.
Community Manager Job Description (Brand / Generic)
COMMUNITY MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION (BRAND / GENERIC)
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Marketing Manager / Head of Marketing]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2 employee
FLSA status: [Confirm by duties and salary -- see note]
Compensation: $______ - $______ per year [+ benefits]
POSITION SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a Community Manager to be the online voice of
our brand. The community manager builds and engages our audience across
social and community channels, creates content, moderates discussion,
and turns followers into an active, loyal community.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Set and run social media and community campaigns
•Create engaging text, image, and video content
•Respond to comments, messages, and reviews; moderate discussion
•Build relationships with customers, advocates, and influencers
•Plan and run community events, AMAs, and contests
•Monitor and report on sentiment, feedback, and reviews
•Track community metrics (engagement, growth, response time)
•Partner with marketing, product, and support for consistency
•Develop and maintain community guidelines
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Excellent written and verbal communication
•Experience managing brand social and community channels
•Familiarity with social tools and analytics
•Strong judgment and a feel for brand voice
•[Bachelor's in marketing, communications, or PR preferred]
FLSA NOTE
Classify based on actual duties and salary, not the title. A junior or
coordinator-level community manager is often non-exempt; a senior,
strategic role may qualify as exempt. Confirm against the federal
threshold and any higher state threshold. This is not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer. Reasonable
accommodations are available for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $______ - $______ per year [+ benefits]
To apply, email __.
Still Using Spreadsheets for Onboarding?
Automate documents, training assignments, task management, and track onboarding progress in real time.
FLSA: Is a Community Manager Exempt or Non-Exempt?
This is the question no competing template answers, and for a community manager it genuinely depends. The Department of Labor is clear that the title does not decide exempt status; the actual duties and salary do.
A junior or coordinator-level community manager doing hands-on, routine work is usually non-exempt: paid hourly, with overtime over 40 hours a week. That matters because social and community work often runs into evenings and weekends, which is compensable for a non-exempt employee. A senior, strategic community manager who exercises real independent judgment may qualify as exempt under the administrative or creative-professional exemption, since marketing and public relations are listed qualifying areas.
Check Your State Salary Threshold
If you classify a community manager as exempt, the role must clear a salary threshold, and the federal figure is only the floor. Several states set higher thresholds, so the same role at the same salary can be exempt in one state and non-exempt in another. Apply the higher of the federal or state threshold where you operate. The guides to exempt versus non-exempt and the Fair Labor Standards Act explain how the tests work. This is general information, not legal advice.
The practical rule: classify by the real duties and pay, document your reasoning, and when the role is hands-on and junior, treat it as non-exempt and track the hours.
Community Manager vs Social Media Manager
These roles overlap and often merge at small companies, but they emphasize different things. Match the title to where your real need is.
Role
Primary focus
Best when
Social media manager
Content calendar, publishing, reach
You need consistent, on-brand content going out
Community manager
Engagement, moderation, relationships
You need someone to grow and nurture a community
Combined (small business)
Both, plus light support
One hire has to do all of it
Senior / lead
Strategy, metrics, team
You are scaling the function
If you mostly need content going out, lead with social media management; if you mostly need engagement and community, lead with community management; if one hire does both, say so. The social media coordinator and marketing coordinator templates cover the adjacent roles.
Requirements and Qualifications
This is a skills-and-portfolio role more than a credentials one. Written communication, brand-voice instinct, and hands-on platform experience matter most; the degree is preferred, not required.
Requirement
What to know
Education
Bachelor's in marketing, comms, or PR preferred, not required
The specific social and community platforms you use
Experience
0 to 2 years junior; 1 to 3 mid; 5+ senior
Portfolio
Communities or accounts they have grown often beats a degree
Certifications
Meta Blueprint, HubSpot, Google, or community credentials, optional
Name the must-have qualifications precisely and separate them from the nice-to-haves, and match the experience level to the version you are hiring. The guide to writing a job description covers how to structure the rest.
Pay and Hiring Outlook
Community manager pay spans a wide band by level and industry, and the closest occupation is growing faster than average, helped by the rise of social media itself.
Closest BLS Benchmark (PR Specialists, May 2024)
With no dedicated wage code for community manager, the closest is public relations specialists (SOC 27-3031), median $69,780 a year as of May 2024 (lowest 10% under $40,750, highest 10% over $129,480). Employment is projected to grow 5% from 2024 to 2034, faster than average, with about 27,600 openings a year, and BLS notes social media is expected to create opportunities in the field (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Anchor your range to the level you are hiring, your industry, and your local market. Junior and mid-level roles sit toward the lower end of that band, senior and lead roles reach well into six figures, and tech and SaaS roles sometimes add bonus or equity. If the role is non-exempt, overtime is paid on top of the base for hours over 40 in a week.
Hiring a Community Manager for a Small Business
At a small business the role is combined and lean, the classification is genuinely tricky, and a new hire needs real onboarding because they become a public voice of your brand. Here are the three realities to get right.
At a small business the role is combined, and no competitor writes for it
The big template sites describe a single, generic community manager built for a company large enough to dedicate one person to it. The reality at a small business is different: a community manager at a five-to-fifty-person company usually runs social media, manages the online community, and handles light customer questions all at once, often as the founder's first marketing hire. These companies rarely have a dedicated HR department, so the founder or marketing lead is also the hiring manager. The generic templates skip the combined scope, the lean reality, and the size of the company entirely. The small-business template on this page is written for that hire: one person, several hats, working directly with the founder.
Nobody states the FLSA classification, and for this role it is genuinely tricky
Not one of the top template pages tells you whether a community manager is exempt or non-exempt, and this is a role where the answer actually varies. The Department of Labor is clear that the title does not decide it; the actual duties and salary do. A junior or coordinator-level community manager doing hands-on, routine work is usually non-exempt, meaning hourly and overtime-eligible, and this matters because social and community work often runs into evenings and weekends, which is compensable time you owe. A senior, strategic community manager who exercises real independent judgment may qualify as exempt under the administrative or creative-professional exemption, since marketing and public relations are listed qualifying areas. Getting this wrong, especially classifying a junior social manager as salaried to avoid overtime, is a real wage-and-hour risk. Every template here states the classification consideration up front. This is general information, not legal advice.
The federal salary threshold is not the whole story, and a new hire needs real onboarding
If you do classify a community manager as exempt, you have to clear a salary threshold, and the federal figure is only the floor. Several states set their own higher thresholds that you must apply if you operate there, so the same role can be exempt in one state and non-exempt in another at the same salary. Beyond classification, onboarding a community manager is its own project: this person will hold the keys to your brand's public voice, so they need access to social accounts and tools with the right permissions, training on your brand voice and community guidelines, and a clear escalation path, all before they post on your behalf. For a small business without HR, that sequence needs a system rather than a scramble. The point of getting the job description right is to set up a hire you can then onboard cleanly and compliantly. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm thresholds and classification with counsel.
After You Hire: Onboarding a Community Manager
Onboarding a community manager is more than paperwork, because this person becomes a public voice of your brand on day one. Send the offer stating the pay and classification, collect the signed offer, and complete Form I-9 and tax forms as part of the new hire paperwork.
Then handle the steps specific to this role, which are the core of a clean start.
Offer and paperwork
Send the offer stating the pay and the FLSA classification, collect the signed offer, and complete Form I-9 and the W-4 and any state tax forms in the first days.
Account access
Grant access to social accounts, scheduling and analytics tools, and any community platform, with the right permissions, and document who holds the keys to brand accounts.
Brand voice and guidelines
Train the new hire on your brand voice, social and community policies, escalation rules, and what they can and cannot say publicly, before they post.
Time tracking if non-exempt
If the role is non-exempt, set up time tracking from day one, since social work often runs into evenings and weekends and those hours are compensable.
FirstHR fits this hire directly: e-signature for the offer and policy acknowledgments, document management for signed records and your social media policy, training modules to deliver and document brand-voice and community-guidelines training before the new hire posts, task workflows to grant and track account access with the right permissions, and a simple HRIS with an org chart showing where the role sits under marketing. Because pricing is flat rather than per seat, a small business pays one rate as it grows. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with a payroll provider or PEO. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
A community manager is the online voice of a brand, building and engaging an audience across social and community channels.
Match the template to your hire: small business, brand, social media, online, junior, or senior.
Classification varies: a junior, hands-on role is usually non-exempt (hourly, overtime); a senior strategic role may be exempt.
The title does not decide exempt status, the duties and salary do, and several states set thresholds above the federal one.
Onboarding matters because this person holds the keys to your brand's public voice; control access and train on brand voice first.
In federal data the role maps to public relations specialists (SOC 27-3031), median $69,780 (May 2024).
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a community manager do?
A community manager is the online voice of a brand, responsible for building, growing, and engaging an audience across social and community channels. The core work includes creating and scheduling content, responding to comments, messages, and reviews, moderating discussion, running events like AMAs and contests, and tracking engagement and growth metrics. A community manager also surfaces customer feedback and sentiment to the team, builds relationships with customers and advocates, and keeps the brand voice consistent everywhere. The exact emphasis depends on the type: a social media community manager focuses on platform content and growth, an online community manager focuses on moderating and nurturing a forum, Discord, or Slack space, and a small-business community manager often combines social, community, and light customer support in one role. In federal data the role maps most closely to public relations specialists (SOC 27-3031), which covers maintaining an organization's public image and managing its social media presence. It is a public-facing, always-on role that rewards strong writing, judgment, and a feel for brand voice.
Is a community manager exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
It depends on the actual duties and salary, not the title, and for this role the answer genuinely varies. The Department of Labor is explicit that job titles and descriptions alone do not determine exempt status; what matters is the work the person actually performs. A junior or coordinator-level community manager who does hands-on, routine content and engagement work is usually non-exempt, meaning they are paid hourly and are entitled to overtime for hours over 40 in a week. This matters because social and community work often runs into evenings and weekends to meet audience demand, and for a non-exempt employee that is compensable time. A senior, strategic community manager who exercises real independent judgment over strategy and programs may qualify as exempt under the administrative exemption, since marketing and public relations are listed qualifying areas, or under the creative-professional exemption for work requiring invention, imagination, or talent. If you classify a role as exempt, it must also meet a salary threshold, and several states set thresholds higher than the federal one, which you must apply where you operate. Classify based on duties and salary, document your reasoning, and when in doubt treat the role as non-exempt. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the difference between a community manager and a social media manager?
The two roles overlap heavily and are often combined at small companies, but they emphasize different things. A social media manager is platform-first: their focus is the content calendar, publishing, paid social, and growing reach and engagement on each channel. A community manager is relationship-first: their focus is engaging the audience, moderating discussion, nurturing a community, responding to members, and turning followers into an active, loyal group. In practice the social media manager owns what the brand says, and the community manager owns the conversation that follows. At a small business, one person frequently does both, which is why the small-business template on this page combines them. When you write the posting, decide where your real need is: if you mostly need consistent, on-brand content going out, lead with social media management; if you mostly need someone to engage, moderate, and grow a community, lead with community management; and if you need both from one hire, say so clearly and set expectations and pay accordingly.
How much does a community manager make?
Community manager pay varies widely by experience, industry, and location, generally landing in the mid-to-upper five figures with senior roles reaching six figures. Because there is no dedicated federal wage code for community manager, the closest benchmark is public relations specialists (SOC 27-3031), who had a median annual wage of $69,780 as of May 2024 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $40,750 and the highest 10 percent earning more than $129,480. In practice, junior and mid-level community managers tend toward the lower part of that range, while senior and lead community managers who own strategy and metrics command significantly more, and tech and SaaS roles sometimes add bonus or equity. Market data shows entry roles often in the high fifties to mid sixties and senior roles well into six figures. For your posting, anchor the range to the level you are hiring, your industry, and your local market, and remember that if the role is non-exempt, overtime is paid on top of the base for hours over 40 in a week.
Does a small business really need a community manager?
Some do, selectively. A community manager is a real role that small businesses hire, but unlike an office manager or a salesperson it is not universal; it makes sense when your business depends on an active online presence or community. The companies that most often justify the hire are direct-to-consumer and e-commerce brands with engaged social audiences, SaaS and tech startups building a user or developer community, digital marketing agencies hiring on behalf of clients, gaming and Web3 studios, and membership or coworking businesses. Early on, many small businesses fold the role into a social media or marketing position, or use a freelancer or part-time contractor rather than a full-time employee, which is a reasonable way to start when the workload is light. The practical question is whether your community and social presence is central enough to your business to keep one person busy and to drive real results. If it is, hire for it deliberately; if it is not yet, the combined small-business template or a part-time arrangement is often the better first step.
What skills and qualifications should a community manager have?
The most important qualifications are excellent written communication, a strong feel for brand voice, and hands-on experience with the social and community platforms you actually use. Beyond that, look for sound judgment and moderation instincts, comfort engaging publicly and handling difficult interactions calmly, organization to manage a content calendar and respond promptly, and basic analytics ability to track engagement, reach, and growth. A bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, public relations, or journalism is commonly preferred but not strictly required; demonstrated results and a portfolio of communities or accounts they have grown often matter more than the degree. Experience level scales with the version you are hiring: zero to two years for a junior role, one to three for a mid-level community manager, and five or more for a senior or lead who owns strategy. Optional certifications such as Meta Blueprint, HubSpot, Google, or a community-specific credential can be a bonus but are rarely required. Match the must-have qualifications to the level and type of community manager you are hiring, and separate them clearly from the nice-to-haves.
Should I hire a community manager as an employee or a freelancer?
Both are common, and the right answer depends on workload and how much control you need over the work. Hiring an employee makes sense when the role is ongoing and central, when you need the person embedded in your team and brand voice, and when you want direct control over how, when, and where the work is done; an employee is the default for a core, full-time community function. A freelancer or part-time contractor can be a good fit when the workload is lighter or project-based, when you are testing whether the role pays off before committing to a full-time hire, or when you need a specific specialized skill for a defined scope. The important caution is worker classification: you cannot simply label someone a contractor to avoid employment obligations. Whether a worker is truly an independent contractor depends on the degree of control and independence in the actual relationship, not on what the agreement calls them. If you direct their daily work like an employee, they likely are one. Many small businesses start with a freelancer to validate the need, then convert to an employee as the role grows. This is general information, not legal advice.
What happens after I hire a community manager?
Run a structured onboarding that covers standard employment paperwork plus the access and brand-voice steps specific to this role. Start with the basics: send the offer stating the pay and the FLSA classification, collect the signed offer, complete Form I-9 within the first days, and gather the W-4 and any state tax forms. Then handle the community-specific steps, which are the heart of this hire. Grant access to your social accounts, scheduling and analytics tools, and any community platform, with the right permissions, and document who holds the keys to brand accounts so access is controlled and recoverable. Train the new hire on your brand voice, social and community guidelines, escalation rules, and what they can and cannot say publicly, before they post on your behalf, since this person becomes a public voice of your brand on day one. If the role is non-exempt, set up time tracking so evening and weekend work is paid correctly. For a small business without HR, this sequence needs a system. FirstHR handles the onboarding layer: e-signature for the offer and policy acknowledgments, document management for signed records and your social media policy, training modules to deliver and document brand-voice and guidelines training, task workflows to grant and track account access, and a simple HRIS with an org chart. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with a payroll provider. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
