Relationship Manager Job Description Templates
Relationship manager job description templates for client, banking, business, senior, and customer roles, with FLSA guidance. Download as DOCX.
Relationship Manager Job Description Templates
6 templates across client, banking, business, senior, and customer versions, with the salary range and FLSA line generic templates skip. Download as DOCX or copy-paste.
Relationship manager is one of the broadest job titles in business. It covers a client relationship manager at a small marketing agency, a banking relationship manager managing a portfolio of business accounts, a customer relationship manager driving software renewals, and a senior relationship manager owning a bank's largest strategic clients. They share a core, owning and growing valuable relationships, but the setting, duties, and pay differ enough that the first job of a good posting is to say which version you actually mean.
At FirstHR, we build hiring and onboarding tools for small businesses, including agencies and services firms where the owner writes the posting and needs someone to keep clients served and renewing. The six templates below cover the role across its main versions: general, client, banking, business, senior, and customer. Each is ready to use, with the salary range and the FLSA line that generic templates skip. For the fundamentals behind any posting, the guide to writing a job description is a useful companion.
What a Relationship Manager Does
A relationship manager owns a portfolio of relationships and is responsible for keeping them healthy, growing, and profitable. The core work is being the main point of contact, understanding each client's goals, communicating proactively to build trust, resolving issues by pulling in the right people internally, and finding opportunities to renew and expand the account. The role sits between sales and service: more ongoing than closing a deal, more strategic than answering support tickets.
The reason the title needs care is that the same words describe very different jobs. The closest federal occupation for the banking version is securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents, but a client relationship manager at an agency maps nowhere near that. Before you post, the most useful thing you can do is pin down which version of the role you mean, which the next section breaks down.
The Many Types of Relationship Manager
Relationship manager splits into several distinct versions that differ in setting, duties, and pay. Knowing which one you need is the single most important step before writing the posting.
| Type | Typical setting | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Client RM | Agencies, professional services | Owns client accounts and renewals |
| Customer RM | Software, subscription businesses | Adoption, success, churn reduction |
| Banking / Financial RM | Banks, financial services | Portfolio and product advisory |
| Business RM | B2B or internal function | Stakeholder and partner alignment |
| Senior RM | Larger firms | Strategic accounts and mentoring |
The banking and financial version dominates the market and pays the most, but it is not where most small businesses hire. For an agency or services firm, the client or customer version is almost always the right fit, which is why two of the six templates below are written specifically for that setting.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by type and setting first. The core structure is the same across all six, but each one emphasizes the duties, classification, and language that fit a specific version of the role. Use this guide to choose.
6 Relationship Manager Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company and job summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, classification and pay, and how to apply, with an EEO statement. Fill in the brackets before you post.
Template 1: Relationship Manager (General)
The standard version: own a portfolio of client relationships, build trust, resolve issues, and grow accounts. Use it when the role is not specific to banking or a single function.
Template 2: Client Relationship Manager (Small Agency / Services)
Written for a small agency, consultancy, or professional-services firm: own client accounts day to day, coordinate delivery, and keep clients renewing. The most common small-business fit.
Template 3: Banking / Financial Relationship Manager
For banking and financial services: manage a client portfolio, advise on products, and grow relationships. Note the FLSA line between advisory work and product-selling covered below.
Template 4: Business Relationship Manager
Either a B2B commercial role managing business portfolios, or an internal partner aligning a function such as IT with business needs. Pick the framing that fits your setup.
Template 5: Senior Relationship Manager
For an experienced manager owning high-value, strategic relationships, leading complex renewals, and mentoring junior managers. The senior tier of the role.
Template 6: Customer Relationship Manager
Post-sale customer success: drive adoption, reduce churn, and grow accounts through renewals and expansion. Often used interchangeably with client relationship manager.
Relationship Manager Duties and Responsibilities
Across versions, relationship manager duties cluster into four categories: relationship building, service and problem-solving, account growth, and tracking and reporting. A good job description picks the specific duties from each category that match the type and setting rather than listing every possible task.
For a client or customer RM, relationship building and service dominate. For a banking or senior RM, account growth and advisory work carry more weight. To scope the role precisely before you write the posting, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through a simple process.
What to Include in a Relationship Manager Job Description
Every strong relationship manager job description includes the same core sections, but the most important move is naming the specific type. After that, specificity in the duties separates a posting that attracts qualified candidates from one that does not.
| Weak bullet | Strong bullet |
|---|---|
| Manage relationships | Own a portfolio of client accounts as the main point of contact |
| Keep clients happy | Resolve issues and run regular check-ins and account reviews |
| Grow the business | Identify renewal and expansion opportunities and meet growth targets |
| Use the CRM | Track relationship health and flag retention risks early in the CRM |
| Have experience | Experience in client services or account management with CRM proficiency |
Specific, measurable duties attract people who can do the work and signal a company that understands the role. Keep the language neutral and inclusive too, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics, and the SHRM job description tools cover the standard sections of a job description.
FLSA: Is a Relationship Manager Exempt or Non-Exempt?
Most relationship managers are treated as administrative-exempt and salaried, but there is a real line worth understanding, especially in financial services, that most templates ignore entirely. Getting it right avoids wage-and-hour risk.
The practical rule: do not assume a relationship manager is exempt just because the title sounds senior. Look at whether the primary duty is advising and managing accounts or primarily selling, and confirm the salary basis. For the underlying rules, the exempt versus non-exempt guide and the Fair Labor Standards Act overview explain how the tests work, and the Department of Labor FLSA page is the primary source.
Requirements and Skills
Relationship manager requirements center on people skills more than credentials, at least outside banking. The core requirements are demonstrated ability to build trust, communicate clearly, solve problems, and manage multiple relationships at once, usually backed by prior client services, account management, or customer success experience.
A bachelor's degree in business or a related field is commonly listed as preferred and is more often expected in banking and financial services, where relevant licenses or certifications may apply depending on the products involved. The internal business-relationship-manager version has its own professional certifications. For a small agency or services firm, weight the hiring decision toward relationship and communication skills and relevant experience, and list a degree as preferred rather than required, since the ability to keep clients happy and renewing is far more predictive of success than any single credential.
Relationship Manager Salary
Relationship manager pay varies widely by type, setting, and seniority, so anchor your range to the specific version rather than a single national number. Government data sets the reference point for the dominant banking version.
Entry-level relationship managers start lower, often in the low $50,000s, and the senior and commercial versions reach well into six figures. The wide range reflects how fragmented the title is across banking, agencies, software, and internal business-partner roles. Set your band to the specific version, seniority, and industry you are hiring for, anchored to government data and your local market, and publish it where required.
Hiring a Relationship Manager at a Small Business
A large bank hires relationship managers through an established commercial team with recruiting support. A small agency or services firm has neither, and the owner runs the search, usually needing a client or customer relationship manager rather than the banking version the search results are full of. That reality shapes both the type you choose and how you write the posting. As the firm grows, the same client-facing work overlaps with adjacent roles, which is why hiring an account manager or a customer success manager follows a similar path.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same document becomes the basis for the offer and a structured onboarding. A relationship manager needs careful onboarding because they have to learn your clients, your accounts, your delivery process, and your tools before they can be trusted to own a relationship that drives real revenue.
Confirm the offer in writing, collect the new hire paperwork, and build a first-weeks plan that introduces the new manager to key accounts, the CRM, and how your team delivers. Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the next step, and an onboarding template gives the new hire a structured start. FirstHR connects the offer, paperwork, e-signatures, and onboarding workflow in one place, so a small agency or services firm can manage the full process even when the owner is running it directly. Applicant tracking is coming soon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a relationship manager do?
A relationship manager owns and grows a portfolio of client or customer relationships. The core work is being the main point of contact, understanding each client's goals and needs, communicating proactively to build trust, resolving issues by coordinating the right people internally, and identifying opportunities to renew and grow the account. The role sits between sales and service: it is not purely closing new deals, and not purely support, but the ongoing job of keeping valuable relationships healthy and profitable over time. The specifics vary widely by setting. A client relationship manager at a small agency coordinates delivery and keeps clients renewing; a banking relationship manager advises on financial products; a customer relationship manager drives adoption and reduces churn. The common thread is owning the relationship and the account outcome.
What are the different types of relationship manager?
Relationship manager is an umbrella title with several distinct versions. A client relationship manager owns client accounts, common at agencies and professional-services firms. A customer relationship manager focuses on post-sale success, adoption, and retention, often in software or subscription businesses. A banking or financial relationship manager manages a portfolio of banking clients and advises on products, which is the dominant version in the market and the highest paid. A business relationship manager is either a B2B commercial role or an internal partner aligning a function such as IT with the business it serves. A senior relationship manager owns the largest strategic accounts and mentors others. These versions differ enough in duties, setting, and pay that a job posting should name the specific one rather than using the generic title alone.
Is a relationship manager exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
It depends on the primary duty and pay, not the title, and the line can be subtle. Many relationship managers are treated as administrative-exempt and salaried with no overtime, because their main work is advising clients and managing accounts, which is analytical, judgment-based office work. However, the Department of Labor has drawn a specific line for financial-services employees: those whose primary duty is collecting and analyzing customer financial information to advise on products generally meet the administrative exemption, while an employee whose primary duty is selling financial products does not qualify and may be non-exempt. The practical takeaway is that an advisory relationship manager may be exempt, but a primarily sales-driven one may be owed overtime. To qualify for the exemption, the employee must also be paid on a salary basis at or above the federal threshold. Classify by the actual duties. This is general information, not legal advice.
What should a relationship manager job description include?
A strong relationship manager job description starts by naming the specific type, client, customer, banking, business, or senior, so the right candidates apply and the salary expectation is clear. From there, include a short company summary, a job summary, and 8 to 10 responsibilities grouped by relationship building, service and problem-solving, account growth, and tracking. Add the required and preferred qualifications, the reporting line, the FLSA classification, and a realistic pay band for the specific version. The most valuable additions that generic templates skip are the type disambiguation, the FLSA exempt-versus-non-exempt guidance, especially the sales-versus-advisory line in financial services, and a salary range matched to the version you are hiring. Close with an equal opportunity statement and clear apply instructions. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a relationship manager make?
Pay varies widely by type and setting, which is why a single national figure can mislead. The closest federal occupation for banking relationship managers, securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents, had a median annual wage of $78,140 in May 2024, with the 10th percentile at $47,080 and the 90th above $215,210, reflecting a wide commission-driven spread. Senior and commercial versions map closer to sales managers, with a much higher median. In practice, client relationship manager roles at agencies and services firms commonly run in the high $50,000s to high $70,000s, while banking, business, and senior relationship managers frequently exceed $100,000. Entry-level roles start lower. Set your range to the specific version, seniority, and industry you are hiring for, anchored to government data and your local market. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the difference between a relationship manager and an account manager?
The roles overlap and the titles are sometimes used interchangeably, but there is a useful distinction. A relationship manager emphasizes the breadth and health of the overall relationship: trust, advice, retention, and long-term value, and is the dominant title in banking and financial services. An account manager more often emphasizes the commercial side of a specific account: hitting revenue targets, upselling, and managing the sales relationship, and is the more common title in sales-led organizations. In smaller companies the two blur, and one person may do both. For a job posting, the practical advice is the same as with the relationship manager subtypes: describe the actual duties and the balance between advisory work and sales rather than relying on the title, so candidates understand the real scope of the job.
Does a small business need a relationship manager?
Most small businesses in trades, food service, retail, or home care do not hire under this title; they hire servers, technicians, dispatchers, and crew. The version that does fit a small business is the client relationship manager or customer relationship manager at an agency, consultancy, or services firm, where keeping clients served and renewing is central to the business. If that describes you, the role can be a strong hire, often the person who protects recurring revenue by keeping clients happy and spotting churn early. If you are not a services firm, you likely need an account manager, a customer service lead, or simply better client processes rather than a dedicated relationship manager. The client and customer templates here are written for the small-firm version of the role. This is general information, not legal advice.
Does a relationship manager need a degree or certification?
For most non-banking relationship manager roles, neither is strictly required. What matters most is demonstrated ability to build trust, communicate clearly, solve problems, and manage multiple relationships, which often comes from prior client services, account management, or customer success experience rather than a credential. A bachelor's degree in business or a related field is commonly listed as preferred and is more often expected in banking and financial services roles, where relevant licenses or certifications may also apply depending on the products involved. Business relationship management has its own professional certifications for the internal-partner version of the role. For a small agency or services firm, weight the hiring decision toward relationship and communication skills and relevant experience, and list a degree as preferred rather than required. This is general information, not legal advice.