6 free templates: standard, digital/web, brand/marketing, first content hire, senior, and 1099 freelance, with the FLSA classification and W-2-vs-1099 guidance the generic templates skip. Download as DOCX.
A content manager job description has two things the generic template farms leave out, and both can cost a small employer. First, the role is easy to confuse with a content editor (who polishes copy) or a content strategist (who only plans), when a content manager actually owns the strategy and runs the people who create the content. Second, the classification (exempt versus non-exempt, and especially W-2 versus 1099 for agencies) is a real decision that no competing template helps you make.
These six templates cover the role by type and employment basis: standard W-2, digital/web, brand/marketing, first content hire, senior, and a 1099 freelance scope of work, each scoped honestly with the FLSA and classification notes built in. For the fundamentals of structuring any posting, the guide to writing a job description is a useful companion.
TL;DR
A content manager owns content end to end: strategy, the editorial calendar, production, SEO, and the team of writers and creators. It sits between a content editor (who polishes copy) and a content strategist (who only plans). The role is usually exempt W-2, clearing the $684/week FLSA salary test, but the duties test and the W-2-vs-1099 call (the ABC test trips up agencies) are real decisions. Download six templates as DOCX.
What a Content Manager Does
A content manager owns content end to end: setting the content strategy, running the editorial calendar, producing and publishing content across web, blog, email, and social, managing the writers and creators who contribute, and using SEO and analytics to grow results. The dominant version is a marketing or digital content manager who owns strategy and leads a team, not a pure writer or pure editor.
There is no dedicated federal occupation code for the title, which is part of why it gets confused with adjacent roles. The closest official proxies are 27-3041.00 Editors for the editorial side and 11-2021.00 Marketing Managers for the marketing-leadership side, and a content manager sits somewhere between them.
Manager vs Editor vs Strategist
The single most useful thing a content manager job description can do is be clear about which role you mean, because content editor, content strategist, and content manager are distinct jobs that attract different candidates.
Content Editor
Production / polish
Reviews, corrects, and improves copy: grammar, style, fact-checking, and proofreading. Works on content others plan.
Content Strategist
Planning only
Plans what content to create and why: audience, topics, and the roadmap. Hands the plan to others to produce.
Content Manager
Strategy + team
Owns the strategy and the calendar and runs the people who create the content. The role that ties planning, production, and team together.
Hire the Right One
Need someone to polish and proofread copy? That is a content editor. Need someone to plan what to create and why? That is a content strategist. Need someone to own the strategy and run the people who create the content? That is a content manager. Many small teams blend all three into one hire, but the posting should say so.
Content Manager Duties and Responsibilities
A content manager's duties cluster into four areas: strategy and planning, production, team and contributors, and SEO and analytics. The balance shifts by type, more CMS and SEO for a digital role, more lead-gen for a brand role, but these areas hold across the title.
Strategy and planning
Own the content strategy across channels
Run the editorial calendar
Align content to goals and the buyer journey
Production
Produce, edit, and publish content
Maintain brand voice and the style guide
Manage the CMS and publishing workflow
Team and contributors
Manage writers, designers, and freelancers
Coordinate with marketing, sales, and product
Set content standards and review work
SEO and analytics
Own on-page SEO and keyword planning
Track content performance
Report on metrics and results
For a structured way to scope the duties to your business and the seniority you need, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Editor, Strategist, Manager Compared
Here is how the three roles compare across the dimensions that matter for hiring, so the job description targets the right candidate.
Content Editor
Content Strategist
Content Manager
Core job
Polishes copy
Plans content
Owns strategy and team
Strategy?
No
Yes (planning)
Yes (owns it)
Produces content?
Edits it
Usually no
Yes, and manages it
Manages people?
No
Sometimes
Yes, contributors or team
Owns SEO/metrics?
No
Partly
Yes
FLSA
Often exempt
Usually exempt
Usually exempt
The takeaway: the editor polishes, the strategist plans, and the content manager owns the strategy and the team. When the budget supports only one hire, the content manager is usually the most versatile, but be honest in the posting about how much pure writing or editing the role will also involve.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by type and employment basis. Use this guide to choose the closest fit, then adjust the duties, pay, and requirements to match.
Standard (W-2)
Any small business
The universal version: strategy, calendar, production, SEO, analytics, and contributor management.
Digital / Web
E-commerce, SaaS, media
Owns the website and CMS: web content, on-page SEO, governance, and web analytics.
Brand / Marketing
B2B, SaaS, agencies
Owns marketing content: blog, email, whitepapers, case studies, aligned to the buyer journey.
First Content Hire
Startup, founder-led
Hands-on build-from-scratch role: strategy plus execution, reporting to the founder.
Senior
Leads a team
Owns the function, leads and develops a team, manages budget, and reports ROI to leadership.
Freelance (1099)
Contract / project
A scope-of-work for a contractor, with deliverables, IP assignment, and an ABC-test warning.
Match the Template to the Hire
A general small-business role: Standard (W-2). A website-and-CMS focus: Digital / Web. A B2B or agency marketing role: Brand / Marketing. A startup's first content person: First Content Hire. A team leader: Senior. A contractor engagement: Freelance (1099), and read the ABC-test note before you classify.
6 Free Content Manager Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company and role summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, classification and pay, and how to apply, with an EEO statement. The freelance version is a scope of work with IP and classification language. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Templates
Standard, digital/web, brand/marketing, first hire, senior, and 1099 freelance. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Content Manager (Standard, W-2)
The universal version: strategy, calendar, production, SEO, analytics, and contributor management for any small business.
Content Manager Job Description (Standard, W-2)
CONTENT MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Marketing Director / Founder / Head of Marketing]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2 employee
FLSA status: Exempt (administrative or creative professional); confirm by duties
Compensation: $_____ per year
ABOUT [COMPANY NAME]
[Company Name] is a [industry] business in [City, State]. We are hiring a Content
Manager to own our content strategy and production across web, blog, email, and
social, and to coordinate the people who create it.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Content Manager owns our content end to end: setting the content strategy,
running the editorial calendar, producing and publishing content, managing
contributors (writers, designers, freelancers), and using SEO and analytics to
grow results. This is a strategy-and-team role, not a pure writing or pure
editing role.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Develop and own the content strategy across channels
•Plan and run the editorial calendar
•Produce, edit, and publish content (web, blog, email, social)
•Manage writers, designers, and freelance contributors
•Own on-page SEO and keyword planning for content
•Track content performance and report on metrics
•Maintain brand voice, style guide, and content standards
•Coordinate with marketing, sales, and product teams
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[3+] years of content, marketing, or editorial experience
•Strong writing, editing, and project-management skills
•Experience with a CMS, SEO tools, and analytics
•Experience coordinating contributors or a small team
•Bachelor's in marketing, communications, English, or related [or equivalent]
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_____ per year (exempt; confirm classification by duties)
To apply, email __ with your resume and writing samples.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 2: Digital / Web Content Manager
Owns the website and CMS: web content, on-page SEO, governance, and web analytics, for e-commerce, SaaS, and media.
Digital / Web Content Manager Job Description
DIGITAL / WEB CONTENT MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Marketing Director / Head of Digital]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2 employee
FLSA status: Exempt (administrative); confirm by duties
Compensation: $_____ per year
ABOUT THIS ROLE
A digital or web content manager owns the content on your website and digital
channels: the CMS, on-page SEO, web governance, and the editorial calendar.
Common at e-commerce, SaaS, and media businesses with a real web presence.
POSITION SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a Digital Content Manager to own the content on our
website and digital channels. You will manage the CMS, plan and publish web
content, own on-page SEO, keep the site governed and on-brand, and use analytics
to improve performance.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Own and publish content in the CMS (WordPress, Drupal, or similar)
•Plan and run the web editorial calendar
•Own on-page SEO, metadata, and keyword planning
•Maintain web governance, structure, and content standards
•Track web analytics and report on content performance
•Coordinate with design, dev, and marketing on web content
•Manage contributors and freelance content creators
Term: [Start date] to [end date or ongoing], [hours or deliverables]
Compensation: $_ per [hour / project / month]
ABOUT THIS ENGAGEMENT
[Company Name] is engaging an independent Content Manager to [own content
strategy and production / run a specific project] on a contract basis. This is a
1099 engagement; the contractor controls how and when the work is performed and
provides their own tools.
SCOPE OF WORK
•Develop and execute the agreed content strategy and calendar
•Produce and deliver [blog posts / web content / email / social] per the SOW
•Own SEO and publishing for the agreed deliverables
•Report on agreed metrics and milestones
•[List specific deliverables, cadence, and acceptance criteria]
DELIVERABLES AND TERMS
•Deliverables: [list]
•Cadence / deadlines: [list]
•Revisions: [number] rounds included
•Tools: contractor provides own equipment and software
•Invoicing: [schedule]
IP AND OWNERSHIP
All content created under this engagement is work made for hire and assigned to
[Company Name] on payment. Contractor confirms the work is original and clears
any third-party rights. [Attach a written contractor agreement.]
CLASSIFICATION NOTE (read before engaging)
Classifying a content manager as a 1099 contractor carries real risk, because
content is often part of a company's or agency's usual course of business. Under
the ABC test used by several states (including California), a worker is an
employee unless all three prongs are met, and Part B (the work is outside the
hiring entity's usual course of business) is hard to satisfy when content is core
to what you do. The federal economic-reality test and IRS common-law rules also
apply. If the person works set hours, uses your tools, takes direction, and does
core ongoing work, they are likely a W-2 employee, not a contractor. Confirm
classification before engaging. This is general information, not legal advice.
SIGNATURES
Company: __ Date: ___
Contractor: ______ Date: ___
FLSA and W-2 vs 1099
This is the section no competing template includes, and it is where small employers get the content manager hire wrong. The role almost always clears the salary test, but the duties test, the exemption choice, and the contractor decision are real calls.
Salary test: a content manager almost always clears it
A content manager paid on a salary basis almost always meets the FLSA salary threshold, because the role typically pays well above it. The federal standard salary level is $684 per week, equal to $35,568 a year, the 2019 level that remains in effect after the 2024 increase was vacated. Job-board data puts content manager base pay in the mid-fifties to low-nineties, comfortably above the floor. But clearing the salary test is only half the question: the role must also meet a duties test to be exempt. Several states (California and New York among them) set higher salary thresholds, so check your state. This is general information, not legal advice.
Which exemption applies turns on the duties
Three white-collar exemptions can fit a content manager, and which one applies depends on the actual work. The administrative exemption fits when the primary duty is office work directly related to management or general business operations, performed with discretion and independent judgment on significant matters, such as choosing content strategy, channels, and budget; most marketing content manager roles land here. The creative professional exemption can apply when the primary duty requires invention, imagination, originality, or talent, but routine content creation under substantial employer control does not qualify, so a pure creator role is a weaker fit. The executive exemption applies when the manager leads two or more full-time employees and influences hiring and firing. This is general information, not legal advice.
The common small-business mistake: non-exempt hourly
A frequent error is putting a content manager on a non-exempt hourly basis even though the role clears both the salary and duties tests for exemption. That can create overtime exposure and reclassification risk, and it sends the wrong signal about the role's seniority. The flip side is also a risk: labeling a junior, closely supervised content role exempt when it does not actually meet a duties test. The fix is to classify by the real duties and pay, document the basis, and pay overtime where the role is genuinely non-exempt. Title alone never determines exempt status. This is general information, not legal advice.
W-2 vs 1099: the ABC test trips up agencies
Agencies and brands often want to engage a content manager as a 1099 contractor, and that is where classification gets risky. Under the ABC test used by several states, including California, a worker is presumed an employee unless all three prongs are met, and Part B (the work is outside the hiring entity's usual course of business) is hard to satisfy when content is core to what an agency or content-driven business does. The federal economic-reality test and IRS common-law rules point the same way. If the person works set hours, uses your tools, takes direction, and does ongoing core work, they are likely a W-2 employee. A true project freelancer with their own tools and multiple clients is a better 1099 fit. This is general information, not legal advice.
Most content manager roles are correctly classified as exempt W-2 employees: they clear the $684 per week federal salary test and usually meet the administrative duties test. Putting the role on non-exempt hourly is a common mistake. Engaging a content manager as a 1099 contractor is risky for agencies and content-driven businesses, because the ABC test's Part B is hard to satisfy when content is core to your business. Confirm classification by the real duties, and check your state, since California and New York set higher thresholds. This is general information, not legal advice.
Skills and Qualifications
Content manager roles start from a few years of content or marketing experience, strong writing and editing skill, and hands-on CMS, SEO, and analytics experience, with team-coordination ability. Scale the requirements to the type and seniority.
Content manager pay varies widely by industry, experience, and the exact flavor of the role, and there is no single official figure because the title has no dedicated occupation code.
Between Editors and Marketing Managers (BLS Proxies)
Because content manager has no dedicated code, the closest official anchors are editors at a median of $75,260 a year and marketing managers at $161,030 as of May 2024 (BLS Editors, BLS Marketing Managers). A content manager generally sits between these poles, and national job-board data clusters base pay in the mid-$50,000s to low $90,000s.
Digital and brand content managers at larger companies tend toward the upper end, while a first content hire at a startup is often lower. The editor proxy is projected to grow about 1 percent and marketing managers about 7 percent from 2024 to 2034. For a posting, benchmark to your industry, region, and seniority, and provide a good-faith range where pay transparency rules apply.
Scope, Hire, and Onboard a Content Manager
Getting this hire right is mostly about scoping the role to your real need, classifying it correctly, and onboarding fast. Here is how those three play out for a small business or startup.
The content manager is often a small company's first real marketing hire
A content manager is frequently the first dedicated marketing or content person a small business or startup hires, brought on to own everything from strategy to writing to publishing while the founder steps back from doing it all. That makes the role high-leverage but also easy to scope badly: founders sometimes write a job description for a strategist when they need a hands-on creator, or for a senior leader when the budget supports a mid-level doer. The First Content Hire template here is written for exactly this case, with honest language about wearing many hats and reporting to the founder. Getting the scope and seniority right in the posting, and being realistic about resources, is the difference between a hire who builds your content engine and one who churns out in six months.
Classification is the part small employers get wrong, both ways
The compliance question that competing templates skip is the one a small employer is most likely to get wrong. On the W-2 side, the mistake is usually putting a salaried content manager on a non-exempt hourly basis when the role clears both the FLSA salary test ($684 per week, $35,568 a year) and a duties test, or the reverse, calling a junior, closely supervised role exempt when it is not. On the contractor side, agencies and content-driven businesses often want a 1099 content manager, but the ABC test makes that hard to defend, because content is usually part of their core business (Part B), and a worker who takes direction, uses your tools, and does ongoing work looks like an employee. The templates here mark the standard role exempt W-2 by default and include a separate 1099 scope-of-work with an ABC-test warning, so the classification decision is made on purpose rather than by accident.
Hiring and onboarding a content manager means paperwork and access, fast
Once you have picked the right scope and classification, onboarding a content manager is mostly about getting them productive quickly: a signed offer letter that states the salary and exempt status, the I-9 and tax forms, and fast, controlled access to the tools that make the role work, the CMS, analytics, SEO tools, brand assets, and the style guide. FirstHR fits this on the people side: e-signature for the offer letter, I-9, and policy and confidentiality acknowledgments, document management for the style guide, brand guidelines, and signed agreements, onboarding workflows and an AI onboarding wizard to sequence tool access and brand orientation, training modules for onboarding, and a simple HRIS, all at a flat monthly price. To be clear about scope, FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with your payroll provider, and applicant tracking is coming soon.
Once the offer is accepted, onboarding centers on the signed offer letter stating salary and exempt status, the new hire paperwork, and fast, controlled access to the CMS, analytics, SEO tools, and brand assets so the content manager is productive quickly.
FirstHR fits this on the people side: e-signature for the offer letter, I-9, and confidentiality acknowledgments, document management for the style guide and brand guidelines, onboarding workflows and an AI onboarding wizard to sequence tool access and brand orientation, training modules, and a simple HRIS, all at a flat monthly price. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so connect those providers separately. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
A content manager owns content end to end: strategy, the editorial calendar, production, SEO, and the team of writers and creators.
It sits between a content editor (who polishes copy) and a content strategist (who only plans); be clear in the posting about which you mean.
The dominant version is a marketing or digital content manager who owns strategy and leads a team, not a pure writer or editor.
The role is usually exempt W-2: it clears the $684/week FLSA salary test and usually meets the administrative duties test. Non-exempt hourly is a common mistake.
W-2 vs 1099 is a real decision: the ABC test's Part B makes 1099 hard to defend for agencies and content-driven businesses where content is core.
It is often a small company's first marketing hire; match the template to the scope and seniority you actually need, from first hire to senior.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a content manager do?
A content manager owns an organization's content end to end. The duties cluster into four areas: strategy and planning (owning the content strategy across channels, running the editorial calendar, aligning content to goals and the buyer journey), production (producing, editing, and publishing content, maintaining brand voice and the style guide, managing the CMS), team and contributors (managing writers, designers, and freelancers, coordinating with marketing, sales, and product), and SEO and analytics (owning on-page SEO and keyword planning, tracking performance, and reporting on results). The dominant version is a marketing or digital content manager who owns strategy and leads the people who create content, across web, blog, email, and social. It is a strategy-and-team role, not a pure writing or pure editing role. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the difference between a content manager, content editor, and content strategist?
These are related but distinct roles. A content editor works on production: reviewing, correcting, and improving copy through grammar, style, fact-checking, and proofreading, usually on content that others plan. A content strategist works on planning: deciding what content to create and why, the audience, topics, and roadmap, then handing the plan to others to produce. A content manager sits across both: owning the strategy and the editorial calendar and managing the people who create the content, tying planning, production, and team together. In smaller organizations one person may do all three, but for hiring the distinction matters: if you need someone to polish copy, hire an editor; to plan, hire a strategist; to own strategy and run the team, hire a content manager. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is a content manager exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
A salaried content manager is usually exempt, but it depends on the actual duties. The role almost always clears the FLSA salary test, since pay typically runs well above the federal threshold of $684 per week ($35,568 a year), but it must also meet a duties test. The administrative exemption usually applies, because the primary duty is office work directly related to business operations performed with discretion and independent judgment, such as choosing content strategy, channels, and budget. The creative professional exemption can apply if the work requires genuine invention and originality, though routine content creation under close control does not qualify. The executive exemption applies if the manager leads two or more employees. A common small-business mistake is putting the role on a non-exempt hourly basis when it clears both tests. Several states set higher salary thresholds. Classify by duties and pay, not title. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can I hire a content manager as a 1099 contractor?
Sometimes, but it is riskier than employers expect, especially for agencies and content-driven businesses. Under the ABC test used by several states, including California, a worker is presumed an employee unless all three prongs are met, and Part B (the work is outside the hiring entity's usual course of business) is hard to satisfy when content is core to what you do. The federal economic-reality test and IRS common-law rules point the same direction. If the person works set hours, uses your tools, takes direction, and does ongoing core work, they are likely a W-2 employee, and misclassifying them creates back-tax and penalty exposure. A genuine project freelancer who uses their own tools, sets their own schedule, and serves multiple clients is a more defensible 1099 fit. The freelance template here includes a scope of work, IP assignment, and an ABC-test warning. This is general information, not legal advice.
What should a content manager job description include?
A strong content manager job description includes a short company summary, a role summary that makes the scope clear (strategy and team versus pure writing or editing), and responsibilities grouped into strategy and planning, production, team and contributor management, and SEO and analytics. It should list real qualifications (years of content or marketing experience, writing and editing skill, CMS, SEO, and analytics experience, and any team-management experience), state the FLSA classification and a good-faith pay range where required, and include an EEO statement and a clear way to apply, ideally asking for writing samples or a portfolio. The most useful additions that competing templates skip are naming which type of content manager you mean (digital, brand, first hire, senior) and stating the employment classification (W-2 exempt or 1099 contractor) on purpose. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a content manager make?
Content manager pay varies widely by industry, experience, location, and the exact flavor of the role. There is no dedicated federal occupation code for content manager, so official data comes from proxies: the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median wage of $75,260 a year for editors and $161,030 for marketing managers as of May 2024, and a content manager generally sits between those poles depending on whether the role leans editorial or marketing-leadership. Job-board data clusters the base salary roughly in the mid-fifties to low-nineties, with senior and enterprise roles higher. Digital and brand content managers at larger companies tend toward the upper end, while a first content hire at a startup is often lower. Set your range using current market data for your industry, region, and the seniority you are hiring, and post a good-faith range where pay transparency rules apply. This is general information, not legal advice.
Does a small business or startup need a content manager?
Often yes, and the content manager is frequently a small company's first dedicated marketing hire, brought on to own content strategy and production so the founder can step back from doing it all. The key is scoping the role to your real need. A startup or small brand usually needs a hands-on content manager who both sets the strategy and creates the content, not a senior leader who only directs a team, so the First Content Hire template is written for that case with honest language about wearing many hats. As the company grows, the role can specialize toward digital, brand, or senior team-leadership versions. The risk is writing a job description for the wrong seniority or scope: hiring a pure strategist when you need a doer, or a senior leader when the budget supports a mid-level hire. Match the template to the work you actually have. This is general information, not legal advice.
What qualifications should a content manager have?
Most content manager roles look for a few years of content, marketing, or editorial experience (often three or more, six or more for senior roles), strong writing and editing skill, and hands-on experience with a CMS, SEO tools, and analytics. Project management and the ability to coordinate contributors or a small team matter, since the role is as much about running content as creating it. A bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, English, or a related field is common but frequently treated as preferred rather than required, with a strong portfolio often counting for more. For specialized versions, look for the relevant depth: CMS and on-page SEO for a digital or web content manager, demand-gen and buyer-journey experience for a brand or marketing content manager, and team-leadership and budget experience for a senior role. Ask for writing samples or a portfolio in the posting. This is general information, not legal advice.
