The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Senior Change Communications Specialist (L3)
3-5 years in previous roleSkills to master
- Owning end-to-end comms for significant project workstreams, mentoring junior colleagues, managing complex stakeholder relationships, and making tactical communication decisions independently.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully led comms for 2-3 significant projects with positive feedback.
- Consistently sought out for advice by project managers on comms issues.
- Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority.
- Proactively identified and mitigated comms risks on projects.
- 2
Internal Communications Manager (Generalist)
4-6 years in previous roleSkills to master
- Developing broad internal comms strategies, managing multiple channels, stakeholder engagement, and content creation for diverse audiences. You'll need to specialise more in change.
You're ready to move on when
- Managed internal comms for a large department or business unit.
- Experience with crisis communications or sensitive announcements.
- A strong portfolio of engaging internal content.
- Demonstrated ability to adapt messaging for different internal audiences.
- 3
Project Communications Lead (Specific Industry)
5-7 years in previous roleSkills to master
- Leading communications for specific, often technical, projects within a particular industry (e.g., IT project comms). You'll need to broaden your change management toolkit and strategic influence.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully communicated complex technical changes to non-technical audiences.
- Managed comms for projects with budgets over £1M.
- Strong understanding of project lifecycle and delivery methodologies.
- Ability to translate technical jargon into clear, actionable messages.