A design-build marketing manager finds homeowners planning an addition, a whole-house remodel or a new custom home, often many months before they sign anything. They run the portfolio, website, ads, events and client stories, and track which sources lead to design agreements and, later, build contracts.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $76,240, middle half $97,240 to $171,240, 90th percentile $218,700. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Chief Executive Officer
Department
Marketing
Schedule
Weekdays 8 to 5, some campaign weekends · Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, in person or remote by policy, with longer days or weekends for big campaigns and events
Also called
Marketing director · Marketing and communications manager · Digital marketing manager
This Marketing Manager role is responsible for strategizing, developing, and executing innovative marketing initiatives for our design-build firm. The successful candidate will craft effective marketing strategies, strengthen our brand identity, and monitor lead generation efforts to drive business growth and support our overall company objectives.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and implement comprehensive marketing strategies that align with company goals.
Oversee brand development and ensure brand consistency across all channels.
Track, analyze, and report on lead generation and campaign performance.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate marketing efforts with overall business activities.
Manage marketing budgets and allocate resources effectively to maximize ROI.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor digital and traditional marketing campaigns and adjust tactics as needed.
Conduct market research to identify trends, competitor activities, and customer needs.
Engage with internal teams and external vendors to streamline marketing operations.
Prepare reports and presentations on campaign performance and lead generation metrics.
Maintain regular communication with sales teams to ensure alignment on target markets and initiatives.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Lead generation: Achieve at least 120 qualified leads per month.
Conversion rate: Maintain a lead-to-customer conversion rate greater than 15%.
Brand engagement: Increase social media engagement by a minimum of 20% within six months.
Campaign ROI: Secure a minimum return on investment (ROI) of 120% per campaign.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, or a related field.
A minimum of 3 years of experience in marketing, with at least 1 year in a managerial role.
Proficient in digital marketing tools, analytics platforms, and CRM systems.
Strong strategic, analytical, and creative problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication and leadership abilities.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working within the design-build or home services industries.
Demonstrated history of driving successful marketing campaigns in competitive markets.
Familiarity with construction, architecture, or real estate marketing dynamics.
Proven track record of achieving or exceeding lead generation targets.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in a typical office environment.
Occasional travel to industry events, trade shows, and client site visits may be required.
No significant physical demands noted aside from standard office-related tasks.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours from Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional extended hours or weekend work during major campaigns or events.
Minimal on-call duties related to urgent campaign updates or client communications.
Collaborative office environment with both in-person and remote working options.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $70,000 – $90,000 USD per annum based on experience and qualifications.
Eligible for performance-based bonuses tied to lead generation and campaign success.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
Participation in a 401k retirement savings plan with company matching.
Other fringe benefits may include professional development opportunities and flexible scheduling.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we champion innovation, growth, and a collaborative spirit. We foster an environment where every team member is encouraged to contribute ideas, develop professionally, and celebrate successes together. Our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction drives us to continuously enhance our brand and deliver exceptional service within the design-build industry. Join us if you are ready to level up your career and make an impact in a supportive and forward-thinking company.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
A design-build client spends a lot and lets a crew into their house for months, so they decide slowly. Marketing earns that trust with finished work and real clients, then proves which efforts turned into signed contracts.
A lead may sign a year later
A homeowner may read a project story in March, come to a planning workshop in the fall and sign a design agreement the next winter. If the CRM keeps only the last click, a search for your name gets the credit and the workshop looks like a waste. Keep the first source and every later touch on the lead's record. Then the workshop gets credit for the families it started, however long they take.
Who owns the photos of a finished home
Photos of finished rooms sell this work, and most come from a hired photographer. Under federal copyright law, a hired shoot counts as made for hire only if it fits one of nine listed kinds of work. Both sides must also sign an agreement saying so. Otherwise a photographer who isn't your employee usually keeps the copyright. Get a written license that covers the website, ads, print, award entries and sharing with the interior designer, or buy the rights outright. Source: U.S. Copyright Office: Circular 30, works made for hire.
Client videos make claims too
When a client says on camera that the addition came in on budget and on time, the FTC's Endorsement Guides say viewers will likely take that as what clients generally get. The firm needs proof that it's typical, or a clear note of what clients usually see, so check the job cost reports before the video runs. If the client got a price break for the video or for opening the house to visitors, say so clearly. Source: eCFR: 16 CFR 255.2, consumer endorsements.
The license number rides on every ad
Oregon's contractor board, for example, requires the firm's license number on its website and other online ads, and on business cards and letterhead. It also goes on business signs at construction sites, such as the firm's sign in a client's yard during the build. A radio spot has to say the number out loud, and a video, such as a finished-home tour, has to show it on screen. Promotional gifts like pens, cups and shirts are exempt. Order designers' cards with the number printed on them. Source: Oregon Administrative Rules 812-003-0120 (example): license required to advertise.
The calendar runs a season ahead
A family who wants to build in spring often has to start design the fall or winter before, because drawings, engineering, selections and permits come first. So the push for additions and custom homes belongs in late summer and fall, while the designers have room to take new clients. Before raising the budget, ask the design manager how many new design clients the team can start each month.
How much design-build marketing managers make
Marketing managers who work for building contractors earned a median of $128,230 a year ($61.65 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $166,790 median for marketing managers in all industries. About 3,100 of the 395,240 marketing managers in that survey work for building contractors.
The template's salary range is low next to what BLS reports for this job at building contractors, and the bonus it describes rewards leads and campaign success. A manager hired from a larger builder may ask for more base. Tie the bonus to build contracts from marketing sources, counted as each one is signed.
Building contractors
$128,230$128,230 median Middle half $97,240–$171,240 10th–90th $76,240–$218,700
All industries
$166,790$166,790 median Middle half $123,020–$216,410 10th–90th $90,260–$293,610
$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k$300k$350k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Building contractors
$76,240
$97,240
$128,230
$171,240
$218,700
All industries
$90,260
$123,020
$166,790
$216,410
$293,610
BLS doesn’t publish pay for design-build firms on their own. These figures cover construction of buildings, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Has marketed a costly purchase that buyers take months to decide on, such as remodels, custom homes or architecture
Has run open houses, home tours or planning workshops and followed up with every guest
Can direct a photographer through a finished kitchen or addition so the photos show the design
Writes project stories that show a family's problem and how the design solved it
Knows what a photo license should cover and gets it signed before a shoot
Teach these on the job
Your design agreement, build contract and the steps between them
Which project types and neighborhoods the owners want more of
Your CRM's fields and how sales logs each stage
Contractor advertising rules for every state you build in
Local award programs, home tours and publications
Most days run through the CRM, web analytics and the website's editor. Beside those sits an archive of finished-project photos, tagged by project type, town and the license terms of each shoot, plus the designers' 3D renderings. Ask finalists how they would pull every addition photo the firm may use in a print ad.
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Filtering free-quote seekers
Many leads want only a free quote, not a design process. What do you change?
A strong answer: Explains the process and design fee up front in ads and on the site, adds qualifying questions, adjusts targeting, and measures signed design agreements.
Behavioral · Explaining complex services
Tell me about a time you explained a complex service, like design-build, simply in your marketing.
A strong answer: Shows the old and new message, how they tested it, and the change in response or qualified leads.
A lead logged this spring may not sign a build contract until next year. Until the CRM holds a full cycle of leads through to contracts, judge marketing on qualified leads and design agreements, and add the build numbers as they arrive.
Lead generation
A lead counts when the homeowner owns the house, lives in your area and wants a project at or above your smallest design job, with a rough start date. Report by source each month; small repair calls go on a referral list.
Conversion rate
Signed build contracts over qualified leads, grouped by the quarter each lead first came in, since many sign much later. Show it by source, since a home show can bring plenty of leads that rarely build.
Brand engagement
Saves, shares and comments on finished-project posts, plus newsletter clicks through to project pages, as each platform reports them. Note which project types draw the most response and feature them in the next round of ads.
Campaign ROI
Gross profit on build contracts traced to the campaign, design fees included, against everything it cost, photographer and event space too. Judge it after most of its design clients have decided whether to build.
Career path
Marketing coordinatorDrafts project stories, gathers progress photos from the PMs and runs event sign-ups.
Marketing managerOwns the budget, the portfolio and which sources lead to signed contracts.
Director of marketingAdds the firm's press, award entries and any new market.
Sales managerA path for those who would rather coach the team that closes design clients.
Work backward. Start with the build revenue the owners want next year and divide it by your average contract to get the number of contracts you need. Then apply last year's rates: how many design clients went on to build, and how many qualified leads became design clients. That gives a monthly lead target. If the template's figure is far from yours, trust your own math.
How much does a design-build marketing manager make?
Marketing managers who work for building contractors earned a median of $128,230 a year ($61.65 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $97,240 and $171,240 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Should a design-build website show what projects cost?
Ranges help, if the owners and sales agree on them. A typical range for each kind of project screens out callers the firm can't serve and spares designers wasted first visits. Base each range on jobs finished in the past year or two, update it every year, and list what changes the number: size, finish level, structural work and the site.
Do homeowners search for "design-build"?
Some do, but more search for the project itself: a home addition, a whole-house remodel, a custom home builder in their town. Build ads and pages around those projects, then explain on the site what hiring one firm to design and build means for their budget and schedule. Keep the search terms that bring design clients and cut the ones that only bring calls.
Are design and remodeling awards worth entering?
They can be, if clients notice them. Many local builder and remodeler associations and regional home magazines run contests, and a win gives you a project page, a badge and a reason to contact past clients. Entries need strong photos and a written story, so plan them into the shoot schedule. Ask new design clients what made them call, and drop contests nobody mentions.
