What They Do: Social and community service managers coordinate and supervise social service programs and community organizations.
Work Environment: Social and community service managers work for nonprofit organizations, private for-profit social service companies, and government agencies. The majority work full time.
How to Become One: Social and community service managers typically need at least a bachelor’s degree and work experience.
Salary: The median annual wage for social and community service managers is $74,000.
Job Outlook: Employment of social and community service managers is projected to grow 12 percent over the next ten years, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Related Careers: Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of social and community service managers with similar occupations.
Social and community service managers coordinate and supervise social service programs and community organizations. They manage workers who provide social services to the public.
Social and community service managers typically do the following:
Social and community service managers work for a variety of social and human service organizations. Some of these organizations focus on working with a particular demographic, such as children, people who are homeless, older adults, or veterans. Others focus on helping people with particular challenges, such as substance abuse, mental health needs, chronic hunger, and long-term unemployment.
Social and community service managers are often expected to show that their programs and services are effective. They collect statistics and other information to evaluate the impact their programs have on the community or their target audience. They are usually required to report this information to administrators or funders. They may also use evaluations to identify opportunities to improve their programs, such as providing mentorship and assessments for their staff.
Although the specific job duties of social and community service managers may vary with the size of the organization, most managers must recruit, hire, and train new staff members. They also supervise staff, such as social workers, who provide services directly to clients. Additionally, they may perform some of the services of the workers they oversee.
In large agencies, social and community service managers tend to have specialized duties. They may be responsible for running only one program in an organization and reporting to the agency's upper management. They usually do not design programs but instead supervise and implement programs set up by administrators, elected officials, or other stakeholders.
In small organizations, social and community managers often have many roles. They represent their organization through public speaking engagements or in communitywide committees; they oversee programs and execute their implementations; they spend time on administrative tasks, such as managing budgets; and they also help with raising funds and meeting with potential donors.
Social and community service managers hold about 173,700 jobs. The largest employers of social and community service managers are as follows:
| Individual and family services | 26% |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | 11% |
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 11% |
| Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations | 11% |
| Community and vocational rehabilitation services | 10% |
Social and community service managers work for nonprofit organizations, private for-profit social service companies, and government agencies. They also work in a variety of settings, including offices, clinics, hospitals, and shelters.
Most social and community service managers work full time. Some work more than 40 hours per week.
Get the education you need: Find schools for Social and Community Service Managers near you!
Social and community service managers typically need at least a bachelor's degree and work experience. However, some positions also require a master's degree.
Most social and community service manager jobs require a bachelor's degree in social work, public or business administration, public health, or a related field. However, some positions also require a master's degree.
Workers usually need experience in order to become a social and community service manager, and it is essential for those with a bachelor's degree. Lower-level management positions may require only a few years of experience, although social and community service directors typically have much more experience. Candidates can get this experience by working as a social worker, substance abuse counselor, or in a similar occupation.
Analytical skills. Social and community service managers need to understand and evaluate data in order to provide strategic guidance to their organization. They must be able to monitor and evaluate current programs as well as determine new initiatives.
Communication skills. Social and community service managers must be able to speak and write clearly so that others can understand them. Public speaking experience is also helpful because social and community service managers often participate in community outreach.
Managerial skills. Social and community service managers spend much of their time administering budgets and responding to a wide variety of issues.
Problem-solving skills. Social and community service managers must be able to address client, staff, and agency-related issues as they occur.
Time-management skills. Social and community service managers must prioritize and handle numerous tasks for multiple customers, often in a short timeframe.
The median annual wage for social and community service managers is $74,000. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $46,550, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $118,650.
The median annual wages for social and community service managers in the top industries in which they work are as follows:
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | $93,420 |
| Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations | $70,960 |
| Individual and family services | $63,260 |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | $60,590 |
| Community and vocational rehabilitation services | $60,590 |
Most social and community service managers work full time. Some work more than 40 hours per week.
Employment of social and community service managers is projected to grow 12 percent over the next ten years, much faster than the average for all occupations.
About 18,000 openings for social and community service managers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Much of the job growth in this occupation is the result of an aging population. An increase in the number of older adults will result in a need for more social services, such as adult daycare, creating demand for social and community service managers. Employment of social and community service managers is expected to increase the most in industries serving older adults.
In addition, employment growth is projected as people continue to seek treatment for their addictions and as people with substance abuse disorders are increasingly sent to treatment programs rather than to jail. As a result, managers who direct treatment programs will be needed.
| Occupational Title | Employment, 2021 | Projected Employment, 2031 | Change, 2021-31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | Numeric | |||
| Social and community service managers | 173,700 | 194,100 | 12 | 20,400 |
For more information about social and community service managers, visit
The Network for Social Work Management
A portion of the information on this page is used by permission of the U.S. Department of Labor.