Leads the team that builds a company's relationship with software developers through documentation, community programs, events and technical content. BLS does not publish separate figures for marketing managers; it counts them within marketing manager (SOC 11-2021), whose median pay is $166,790 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 11-2021
- Management
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Director of Developer Relations in four numbers
- Median pay
- $166,790a year, or $80.19/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $90KTop 10% $294K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +6.9%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+6.9%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +6.9% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 34,000421,600 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025421.6K
- Projected 2035450.8K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 421.6K Projected 2035 450.8K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Head of Developer Relations, VP of Developer Relations, Developer Relations Director, Head of DevRel.
Pay
How much do Marketing Managers make?
Every director of developer relations in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$166,790
Middle half earn $123,020 to $216,410
- 10th
- $90,260
- 25th
- $123,020
- 75th
- $216,410
- 90th
- $293,610
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $90,260 |
| 25th | $123,020 |
| Median | $166,790 |
| 75th | $216,410 |
| 90th | $293,610 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $166,790
- Median hourly wage
- $80.19/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $177,770
- People employed
- 395,240
Versus all US occupations
At $166,790, Marketing Managers earn 227% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $115,810 a year.
Versus management occupations
Inside the Management group, where the middle occupation pays $126,060, this is 32% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $293,610 or more while the bottom 10% earn $90,260, a gap of 3.3×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 95% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Massachusetts pays the most at $212,020, and still leads at $200,478 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Marketing Managers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Massachusetts | $212,020 | $200,478 | 14,270 |
| 2California | $193,620 | $174,874 | 54,660 |
| 3Virginia | $187,820 | $185,769 | 6,890 |
| 4Colorado | $182,730 | $177,318 | 6,010 |
| 5New York | $181,200 | $167,901 | 54,000 |
| 6New Jersey | $180,040 | $165,470 | 13,510 |
| 7District of Columbia | $177,170 | $161,209 | 3,470 |
| 8Minnesota | $173,300 | $175,723 | 8,500 |
| 9Washington | $172,270 | $160,980 | 8,880 |
| 10Connecticut | $169,240 | $163,343 | 5,800 |
Job outlook
Is Director of Developer Relations a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +6.9% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Marketing Managers | +6.9% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Marketing Managers to change 6.9% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 29,100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 34,000 openings are projected each year, 8.1% of the 421,600 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Director of Developer Relations
Most directors of developer relations have a bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering or communications, and started as software engineers or developer advocates. Credibility with developers matters, so hands-on coding experience and a public record of talks, writing or open-source work are important.
The usual path runs from developer advocate to senior advocate to manager, then director. Employers look for people who have built developer communities, launched programs that drove adoption, and managed teams. Industry communities of developer relations professionals share frameworks for measuring impact, but there is no required certification.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
5 years or more
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
The work
What does a Director of Developer Relations do?
Directors of developer relations run the teams that help software developers discover, learn and succeed with a company's platform, API or tools. Their teams include developer advocates, technical writers, community managers and sometimes developer experience engineers. Together they produce documentation, sample code, tutorials, videos and talks, and run community forums, hackathons and conference programs.
The director sets the strategy: which developers to reach, which programs to fund, and how to measure success through signups, active usage and community health. They work closely with product teams to bring developer feedback into the roadmap, and with marketing and sales on launches. They also hire and manage the team and represent the company in the developer community.
Day-to-day tasks
- Set developer relations strategy and goals
- Hire and manage developer advocates, writers and community managers
- Oversee documentation, tutorials and sample code
- Plan conference talks, hackathons and community programs
- Bring developer feedback to product and engineering teams
- Measure adoption and community health and report results
- Represent the company at developer events and in online communities
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Directors of developer relations work at cloud providers, API companies, developer tool startups and large software firms. The work is often remote or hybrid, combining planning, team management and public-facing work. Travel to conferences, meetups and customer events is frequent.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening4.1
- Speaking4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Active Learning3.9
- Monitoring3.9
- Writing3.3
- Learning Strategies3.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.1 |
| Speaking | 4.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.9 |
| Monitoring | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.3 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Persuasion3.9
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Systems Evaluation3.9
- Social Perceptiveness3.8
- Coordination3.8
- Negotiation3.8
- Time Management3.8
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Persuasion | 3.9 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.9 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.8 |
| Coordination | 3.8 |
| Negotiation | 3.8 |
| Time Management | 3.8 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Accounting software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Application server software · in demand
- Business intelligence and data analysis software · in demand
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software · in demand
- Cloud-based management software · in demand
- Content workflow software · in demand
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base management system software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Data mining software · in demand
- Desktop publishing software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Director of Developer Relations?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code EAS) built on O*NET's Marketing Manager profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Director of Developer Relations |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 1 |
| Investigative | 3 |
| Artistic | 4 |
| Social | 4 |
| Enterprising | 7 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Enterprising7.0
- Conventional4.7
- Social3.7
- Artistic3.6
- Investigative2.9
- Realistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Director of Developer Relations
O*NET related occupations
- Management
- Business and Financial Operations
Market Research Analyst and Marketing Specialist
$78,760median a year
Most earn $43K to $155K
+7.0%Bachelor's - Management
- Management
- Business and Financial Operations
- Sales and Related
More management careers
Median annual pay, with marketing managers highlighted
- IT Manager$175,140
- Marketing Manager$166,790
- Director of Developer Relations$166,790
- Financial Manager$166,570
- Human Resources Manager$149,280
- Sales Manager$148,270
- Construction Manager$114,990
- Supply Chain Manager$107,230
- Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Manager$69,990
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| IT Manager | $175,140 |
| Marketing Manager | $166,790 |
| Director of Developer Relations | $166,790 |
| Financial Manager | $166,570 |
| Human Resources Manager | $149,280 |
| Sales Manager | $148,270 |
| Construction Manager | $114,990 |
| Supply Chain Manager | $107,230 |
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Manager | $69,990 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Director of Developer Relations appears on
Questions
Director of Developer Relations: frequently asked questions
How much do Marketing Managers make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for marketing managers. It counts them within marketing manager, whose median pay is $166,790 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $123,020 and $216,410, and the top 10% earn $293,610 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Director of Developer Relations?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Marketing Managers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. Employers typically expect 5 years or more of related work experience first.
Is Director of Developer Relations a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6.9% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 34,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Director of Developer Relations do?
Directors of developer relations run the teams that help software developers discover, learn and succeed with a company's platform, API or tools. A typical task: set developer relations strategy and goals. Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Analytical or scientific software, Application server software.
Which states pay Marketing Managers the most?
The highest state medians for Marketing Managers are Massachusetts ($212,020), California ($193,620), Virginia ($187,820) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Director of Developer Relations?
O*NET scores Marketing Managers highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Social interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ENFJ, ENTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.