Business, research and administrative professionals

How to become a marketing and commercial manager

Official title: Marketing and commercial managers

Also called: Manager, Ppc manager, Seo manager, Client manager, Market manager, Account manager, Campaign manager, Category manager, Contract manager, Campaigns manager, Community manager, Marketing manager

Marketing and commercial managers manage, plan and oversee the promotion of services, products, companies or brands, find new business, plan specifications and prepare details of the requirements for a project and negotiate contracts.

Main tasks

Liaises with other senior staff to determine the range of goods or services to be sold, contributes to the development of sales strategies and setting of sales targets
Discusses employer’s or client’s requirements, carries out surveys or other market research and analyses customers’ reactions to product, packaging, price, etc
Compiles and analyses sales figures, prepares proposals for marketing campaigns and promotional activities
Produces reports and recommendations concerning marketing and sales strategies for senior management
Manages a marketing team and directs the implementation of marketing strategies for products and services
Builds relationships with clients, negotiates new business contracts, plans specifications and prepares details of the requirements for a project

How to become one

There are no pre-set academic entry requirements. A degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant field may be advantageous and significant relevant experience is usually required.

Ways in

Apprenticeship (England): Marketing manager (level 6). England. Typically 24 months. Skills England standard ST0612.
University: Science degrees, Offered by 27 universities in the UK
University: Arts & Humanities degrees, Offered by 27 universities in the UK

Pay · Outlook

Median full-time pay: £53,703 a year The middle half earn £39,645 to £69,510.
About 112,000 people work in this job now, and about 125,700 are projected by 2035. (+12.2%)

Questions people ask

How do I become a marketing and commercial manager?

There are no pre-set academic entry requirements. A degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant field may be advantageous and significant relevant experience is usually required.

How much does a marketing and commercial manager earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £53,703 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £39,645 to £69,510.

Is a marketing and commercial manager a growing career in the UK?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 12% by 2035, from about 112,000 to about 125,700 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become a marketing and commercial manager?

Usually. 76% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Sources

Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.