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Contents
What Matters Most
Why This Communication Manager Resume Works
How to Write a Communication Manager Resume That Gets Interviews
What to Include in a Communication Manager Resume
Communication Manager Resume Summary Examples
Communication Manager Work Experience Examples
Top Communication Manager Skills
Certifications for a Communication Manager
Common Communication Manager Resume Mistakes
Communication Manager Resume FAQs
Summary
Communication manager with twelve years in communications, the last six leading the function for a company in Leeds. Owns how the organisation communicates — internal and external comms, PR and media, content and messaging, and protecting and building reputation. Led a communications strategy that lifted brand awareness and improved internal engagement. Sets communications strategy, leads the comms team, manages media and PR, oversees internal communications, and advises leaders. Strong on both the strategic communications and the writing and people skills the role demands. Sharp, calm and a trusted adviser to leadership. Looking for a communications-manager or head-of-comms role with an organisation that values strong, strategic communication.
Work Experience
Communication Manager
Leeds Company Group, Leeds, UK
Apr 2017 – Present
- Own internal and external communications across the organisation as communications manager, setting the tone and standards for every channel.
- Led a communications strategy that lifted brand awareness and improved internal engagement across the whole organisation over two years.
- Set the communications strategy and lead the comms team day to day across the business.
- Manage media, PR and content and protect the organisation's reputation actively, responding quickly to press enquiries and emerging issues.
- Oversee internal communications and employee engagement across the whole business, keeping staff informed and connected through clear, consistent messaging.
- Advise senior leaders on messaging and communications decisions, including difficult ones, and help them prepare for media and stakeholder moments.
Communications / PR Specialist
Yorkshire Communications, Leeds, UK
Aug 2008 – Mar 2017
- Delivered PR, content and internal communications for the business as a comms specialist, writing across web, press and employee channels.
- Managed media relations, press materials and campaigns across several years, building lasting relationships with journalists and securing regular coverage.
- Learned strategic communications, PR and stakeholder work on the job over time, taking on broader responsibility with each new campaign.
- Gained the strategic-communications certification while leading larger projects and progressed steadily from specialist into a manager role.
Education
BA (Hons) Communications & PR, Communications & PR
University of Leeds
Sep 2005 – Jun 2008
- Communications and PR degree covering media, messaging, writing and strategy, with a placement. The placement led directly into communications. Built the foundation behind leading a communications function.
Strategic Communications Certification, Communications
Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Jan 2013 – Jun 2013
- Certification in strategic communications covering PR, internal comms and reputation. It professionalised the comms craft applied daily. Applied directly to leading communications strategy and the team.
Certifications
Strategic Communications
Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Jun 2013 – Present
- Certification in strategic communications covering PR, internal comms and reputation. It professionalised the comms craft applied daily. Applied directly to leading communications strategy and the team.
Communications Strategy Relaunch
Communications Strategy Relaunch
Jan 2019 – Dec 2019
- Led a relaunch of the organisation's communications strategy across media, content and internal channels, which lifted brand awareness externally and significantly improved employee engagement internally.
Highlights
Awareness and engagement up
- Led a communications strategy that lifted brand awareness and improved internal engagement. Moving both external reputation and internal engagement is communications working at its best.
Trusted adviser
- Advises leaders calmly on messaging and communications, including in difficult moments. Being a trusted adviser is a core part of communications leadership.
Languages
- English (UK) — Native or Bilingual Proficiency
- French — Limited Working Proficiency
Technical Skills
- Communications Strategy
- Media & PR
- Internal Communications
- Messaging
- Content
- Reputation Management
- Team Leadership
- Crisis Communications
- Stakeholder Management
- Copywriting
Personal Skills
- Communication
- Strategic Thinking
- Composure
- Judgement
- Leadership
Activities & Interests
- News
- Tennis
- Games
- Gambling
- Feed Baby
What Matters Most
Before the detail, here is what actually separates a strong communication manager resume from a generic one:
- Lead with the function you own, internal and external comms plus PR and reputation, not a channel checklist; hiring managers want proof you run communications, not just write it.
- Show a strategy you set and the movement it created: prompted awareness up, engagement scores lifted, share of voice gained, so the impact is measured rather than claimed.
- Put crisis and issues communication near the top, because holding the line calmly when a story breaks is what separates a manager from a senior press officer.
- Name the audiences and leaders you advise, especially the executive team, since counselling them on difficult messaging is core to the role rather than a nice-to-have.
- Quantify scope: coverage secured, campaigns run, channels owned, team size and budget, so a recruiter can size the function you have actually carried.
- Prove range across internal comms, media relations, content and messaging; the strongest candidates cover the whole function instead of one specialism.
Why This Communication Manager Resume Works
This sample earns a second read because it puts the function and its results where a recruiter looks first. Here is what it gets right:
- The summary opens by naming the function owned, internal and external comms, PR, content and reputation, so scope registers before any adjective does.
- It leads on a strategy the candidate set and the two outcomes it moved, external awareness and internal engagement, tying the role to results rather than a task list.
- The arc from communications and PR specialist into the manager role shows the craft compounding, so the step up reads as earned rather than simply handed over.
- Reputation work and fast press response sit in the top bullets, signalling someone who can steady a live issue, the skill that lifts this above press-office work.
- The CIPR strategic communications certification is placed as professional proof of the strategy side, backing the claim instead of padding the page.
- It closes on being a trusted adviser to leadership, which is exactly what a head-of-comms shortlist screens for. {TIP}
How to Write a Communication Manager Resume That Gets Interviews
Comms hiring runs on judgement and evidence, not adjectives. Write for the director or CEO deciding who they will trust with the organisation's voice:
Open the summary with the function you own
State the remit in the first line: 'Communications manager owning internal and external comms, PR and reputation for a 1,200-person organisation.' Naming the whole function signals you run communications strategically, not that you are a writer who also does media.
Lead with a strategy and the numbers it moved
Recruiters want the result of your thinking, not your job description. Show a strategy you set and what it shifted: prompted brand awareness from 40% to 55%, engagement scores up 13 points, share of voice ahead of two competitors. One measured outcome beats five duty bullets.
Make crisis and issues work visible
Put a real issue near the top: a recall, a restructure announcement, a leaked story. Describe the message you agreed, the channels you ran and the outcome, because handling a live press issue calmly is the single clearest signal that you operate at manager level.
Show you advise leaders, not just channels
Executive counsel is half the job, so evidence it: prepped the CEO for broadcast interviews, drafted board messaging, cut statement sign-off from five drafts to two. This is what separates a communications manager from a busy content producer.
Cover the full function, then tailor to the target
A corporate-affairs role wants reputation and media; an internal-comms lead wants engagement and change. Rework your top bullets for each posting so every version leads with the outcomes that role screens for.
Once the wording is set, you can build it on a communications template and drop your coverage and engagement numbers straight in.
What to Include in a Communication Manager Resume
Comms resumes reward a handful of specific lines that generic templates leave out. Make sure yours carries these:
A summary that names the function owned and the size of the organisation and team behind it.
A headline strategy with a measured result: awareness, engagement, share of voice or coverage.
At least one crisis or issues example showing the message agreed and the outcome protected.
Media relations proof: coverage volume, tier of outlet, and journalist relationships held.
Internal comms evidence: channels owned, engagement scores moved, change programmes supported.
Executive advisory work, spelled out, including media training and statement sign-off you led.
A professional credential such as CIPR, IABC or PRSA accreditation, listed as proof not filler.
Budget and team scope, so the reader can size the function without guessing.
Communication Manager Resume Summary Examples
Your summary carries the function, the scope and one measured result in three or four tight sentences. These examples span an early-career comms lead, an in-house manager and a head of communications so you can match the level closest to your own:
Entry-level resume summary example
Communications and PR specialist with four years across media relations, content and internal comms for a regional charity, ready to step up into a communications manager role. Runs the full press office single-handed, securing 90-plus pieces of regional and trade coverage a year and cutting average enquiry response to under three hours. Rebuilt the monthly staff newsletter around clearer stories and a cleaner template, lifting open rates from 34% to 61% across 500 employees. Writes fluently for web, press and executive voice, and holds the CIPR Foundation award. Looking for an in-house communications manager or senior communications officer role where strategy, writing and stakeholder work all sit in one seat.
Mid-level resume summary example
Communications manager with eight years in-house, owning internal and external comms, PR and reputation for a 1,500-person financial-services firm. Sets the annual communications strategy and runs a team of three across media, content and employee channels. Led a repositioning campaign that lifted prompted brand awareness from 41% to 56% and moved internal engagement scores up 12 points in two years. Steadied the business through a data-breach disclosure, agreeing a single message across press, staff and regulators within a working day. Trusted by the executive team for interview prep and board messaging, and calm when a story is moving fast. Seeking a communications manager or corporate-affairs role with an organisation that treats comms as strategic, not a service desk.
Senior-level resume summary example
Head of communications with fifteen years in corporate and consumer comms, the last six leading the function for a 4,000-person group across three countries. Owns strategy, media, internal comms, content and crisis, running a team of nine against a seven-figure budget held to 4% variance. Repositioned the corporate narrative ahead of a funding round, growing positive share of voice 30% against the two nearest competitors, and stood up a 24-hour press response during a product recall that kept the story off the front pages. Chairs crisis simulations for the board and coaches executives on high-stakes media moments. CIPR Chartered Practitioner. Looking for a communications director or head-of-comms role where reputation is treated as a board-level asset.
Communication Manager Work Experience Examples
Bullets should read as evidence, not a job description, each one a decision you made and the result it produced. These sets show how the same comms work scales across in-house, senior and agency contexts:
In-house communications manager
- Set and ran the annual communications strategy across media, content and internal channels for a 1,200-person organisation, lifting prompted brand awareness 22% and internal engagement from 61% to 74% inside two years.
- Managed the media relations programme end to end, securing 140-plus pieces of national and trade coverage a year and cutting average press-enquiry response from a full day to under two hours during live issues.
- Rebuilt the internal comms calendar around a monthly all-staff briefing and a redesigned intranet, growing newsletter open rates from 38% to 66% and giving 900 staff one trusted source for company news.
- Led communications through a restructure announcement, drafting leader scripts, a staff FAQ and a phased channel plan that kept the story out of the press and held employee trust through a difficult quarter.
- Advised the executive team on messaging for results days and stakeholder moments, prepping the CEO for broadcast interviews and reducing sign-off cycles on external statements from five drafts down to two.
Senior / Head of Communications
- Owned the communications function for a 4,000-person group, setting strategy, leading a team of nine across media, internal comms and content, and holding a seven-figure budget to a 4% variance across the full year.
- Steered the group's response to a product recall, standing up a 24-hour press line and coordinating legal, operations and leadership so a single agreed message reached media, staff and regulators within three hours.
- Repositioned the corporate narrative ahead of a funding round, aligning investor, media and employee messaging, which contributed to 30% growth in positive share of voice against the two nearest competitors.
- Built the internal communications operating model from scratch, introducing quarterly leadership roadshows and a manager cascade that raised the 'I understand our strategy' score by 19 points inside a single year.
- Coached the executive team and board on media handling and crisis readiness, running two full simulation exercises a year so leaders were rehearsed long before any real issue reached a journalist.
Agency / PR communications
- Ran integrated PR campaigns for a portfolio of six B2B clients, landing coverage in the national and trade press and delivering an average 4:1 return on retainer against agreed awareness and lead-generation targets.
- Managed a product launch across earned, owned and social channels, generating 3.2 million impressions and 90 pieces of coverage in the first fortnight while keeping every client sign-off inside a 24-hour turnaround.
- Handled crisis and issues work for a consumer brand during a supply scandal, drafting holding statements and briefing spokespeople so the client protected its reputation and kept its two largest accounts intact.
- Grew a client's executive thought-leadership programme from a standing start, ghost-writing LinkedIn posts that lifted follower count 140% and produced 40 qualified inbound enquiries across two trading quarters.
Top Communication Manager Skills
Comms hiring screens for strategy, judgement and the ability to hold a message under pressure far more than for tool familiarity. Weight your skills section toward the ones a director would actually test in interview:
Hard skills
- Communications strategy
- Media relations
- Public relations
- Internal communications
- Crisis and issues management
- Reputation management
- Messaging and positioning
- Copywriting and editing
- Content strategy
- Press release writing
- Stakeholder engagement
- Spokesperson and media training
- Corporate communications
- Change communications
- Employee engagement
- Social media strategy
- Campaign planning
- Measurement and evaluation (AMEC framework)
- Executive counsel
- Budget management
Soft skills:
- Composure under pressure
- Sound judgement
- Strategic thinking
- Persuasion
- Discretion
- Relationship building
- Leadership
Certifications for a Communication Manager
Communications has no single mandatory licence, but a recognised professional accreditation signals you take the craft seriously and understand strategy, ethics and measurement. These are the ones that carry weight with UK and international employers:
-
CIPR Professional PR Diploma
— Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) The senior UK PR qualification; a route toward CIPR Chartered Practitioner status and strong on strategy and reputation.
-
SCMP
— Global Communication Certification Council (GCCC) Aimed at senior communicators who set strategy and advise leadership; recognised internationally through IABC.
-
CMP
— Global Communication Certification Council (GCCC) Mid-career credential covering planning, execution and measurement; a natural step before the SCMP.
-
APR
— Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) The benchmark PR accreditation in the US; optional but a clear signal of professional standard for global roles.
Common Communication Manager Resume Mistakes
A few avoidable errors make an experienced communicator read like a junior press officer. Steer clear of these:
- Listing channels and duties ('wrote press releases, managed social') with no strategy or result behind them, so nothing proves you operate at manager level.
- Leaving out crisis or issues work, which is often the exact experience a director is trying to hire for.
- Claiming impact with no numbers: no awareness figure, engagement score, coverage volume or share-of-voice movement to anchor the claim.
- Hiding executive advisory work, when counselling leaders on difficult messaging is one of the strongest signals of seniority you can give.
- Writing in dense corporate jargon, which is a poor look for someone whose whole job is clear communication.
- Blurring internal and external comms into one vague paragraph instead of showing command of both sides of the function.
Communication Manager Resume FAQs
The questions communicators most often ask when turning years of comms work into a resume that lands manager and head-of-comms interviews:
Lead with the function you own, internal and external comms, PR and reputation, then a headline strategy with a measured result. Follow with crisis or issues experience, media coverage secured, internal engagement moved, and the executive advisory work you led.
Prioritise communications strategy, media relations, internal comms and crisis management, since these decide most manager hires. Add messaging, stakeholder engagement, measurement and executive counsel, and weight the list toward judgement rather than software.
Open with the function you own and the size of the organisation and team, then a single strategy and the number it moved. Keep it to three or four sentences and close on the level of role you want, such as corporate affairs or head of comms.
Two pages is right for most communication managers with several years of experience. Use the space for measured results and crisis examples rather than a long duties list, and keep a junior comms resume to a single focused page.
No, a CIPR qualification is not legally required, but it is well regarded by UK employers and can tip a shortlist. Most managers hold a communications, PR, journalism or marketing degree, with CIPR, IABC or PRSA accreditation as a strong optional add.
Describe a real issue you managed, the message you agreed, the channels you ran and the outcome you protected. A restructure, recall or data breach handled calmly is more persuasive than any 'crisis communications' skill label on its own.
A PR manager resume centres on media relations and earned coverage, while a communications manager resume spans internal comms, reputation, messaging and executive counsel too. If you own the whole function, make that breadth the headline rather than leading on press alone.
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