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ANZSCO 2254Skill level 1Business and finance

Marketing officer

Plan and execute marketing campaigns across digital, print and event channels.

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Salary

Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.

FigureAUDSource
Full-time weekly earnings$1500Job Outlook (2025-06-01)
Graduate starting salary$63,000QILT (2025-03-01)

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What a marketing officer actually does

Marketing officers run the operational side of marketing campaigns across digital, print, event and partnership channels. A typical day starts with checking inboxes, campaign analytics and the content calendar. The middle of the day usually involves coordinating designers, copywriters or agency partners, drafting email and social content, and setting up assets in the CMS. Afternoons go to event planning, sponsorship outreach, and reporting on the previous campaign. Most roles are 38-40 hours a week, often hybrid one to two days from home. Workload peaks ahead of large product launches, trade shows, EOFY and back-to-school. In smaller businesses you'll wear several hats; in larger employers you'll specialise more narrowly into brand, content or digital.

Typical tasks

  • Brief creative and media partners.
  • Manage social and content calendars.
  • Track campaign performance against KPIs.

Skills you'll use

  • Briefing creative and media partners
  • Content writing for social, email and web
  • Email and social-media platforms (Mailchimp, HubSpot, Meta Business Suite)
  • Basic graphic design tools (Canva and entry-level Adobe)
  • Microsoft Excel for budget tracking and reporting
  • Project coordination across designers, agencies and stakeholders
  • Reading analytics dashboards and reporting against KPIs

How to become one

  1. 1Finish Year 12 with English; Maths Standard is enough for most marketing degrees
  2. 2Complete a Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Marketing, or a Bachelor of Communications with a marketing major (3 years); a Diploma of Marketing and Communications through TAFE is an alternative pathway
  3. 3Build a portfolio of real work through internships, casual marketing roles, or running marketing for a community group or small business while studying
  4. 4Apply for marketing officer, marketing coordinator or marketing assistant roles; agencies provide a fast learning curve early in your career
  5. 5Consider further professional development through the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) or vendor certifications as you specialise

Where you can work

  • In-house marketing teams across retail, FMCG, finance and tech
  • Full-service, content and PR agencies
  • Universities, TAFEs and schools
  • Federal, state and local government communications teams
  • Not-for-profits, charities and member associations
  • Property and real-estate marketing teams
  • Self-employed freelance or solo consulting practice

Career progression

Typical stages and salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.

  1. Marketing coordinator
    0-3 years
    Typical roles: Marketing coordinator, Marketing assistant, Communications officer
    Salary band: $55,000 - $70,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  2. Marketing officer / specialist
    3-6 years
    Typical roles: Marketing officer, Brand specialist, Communications adviser
    Salary band: $75,000 - $100,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  3. Marketing manager
    7-12 years
    Typical roles: Marketing manager, Brand manager, Senior marketing manager
    Salary band: $110,000 - $160,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  4. Head of marketing / CMO
    12+ years
    Typical roles: Head of marketing, Director, marketing, Chief Marketing Officer

Is this for you?

You might love this if

  • You can write a clear sentence and a short paragraph that holds attention
  • You can juggle several campaigns and stakeholders without losing the thread
  • You're comfortable being judged on outcomes that take weeks to land
  • You can take honest feedback on creative work
  • You like a mix of strategy, planning and hands-on production

This might not suit you if

  • You want to work purely with numbers, with no creative production
  • You dislike presenting your work in front of stakeholders
  • You hate revising copy or creative based on someone else's notes
  • You want a strict 9-to-5 with no campaign-launch crunch

Three ways in

Uni, TAFE and trade routes for marketing officer. Not every career has all three; we only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

Apprenticeship trade

Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.

Not an apprenticeship trade.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.