Career
Social and community service managers
Lead programs that serve people and communities in need.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Establish and oversee administrative procedures to meet objectives set by boards of directors or senior management.
- Direct activities of professional and technical staff members and volunteers.
- Evaluate the work of staff and volunteers to ensure that programs are of appropriate quality and that resources are used effectively.
- Participate in the determination of organizational policies regarding such issues as participant eligibility, program requirements, and program benefits.
- Prepare and maintain records and reports, such as budgets, personnel records, or training manuals.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on persuasion & leadership, then people & care?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Establish and oversee administrative procedures to meet objectives set by boards of directors or senior management.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Management of Personnel Resources.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $80,390 a year and 18,500 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Business AdministrationSee the degree →
- Business (General)See the degree →
- Social WorkSee the degree →
- Human ServicesSee the degree →
- Behavioral SciencesCIP 30.1701
- ThanatologyCIP 30.5301
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers$59,550 · +4.4%
- Rehabilitation Counselors$46,850 · +2.2%
- Community Health Workers$51,850 · +12.7%
- Healthcare Social Workers$67,880 · +8.5%
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers$60,280 · +10.3%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.