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For many, it is the dream to use their skills and expertise to make a very good salary without ever setting foot in a fixed office. Whether that means working for your family home to be closer to loved ones or working from your favorite beach, it doesn’t matter, the dream for many is to do their best work with the flexibility of being fully remote.
But are there really fully remote jobs out there that pay a decent salary? The answer is yes! Need proof? FlexJobs has analyzed its job database from February 1, 2024 to July 30, 2023 to find the most in-demand, fully remote jobs with the highest salaries.
Let’s have a look at some of the jobs below, what they involve, and what kind of skills and experience you need to land one of these top jobs.
Customer Management Roles
This includes a range of high-paying full remote jobs. The ones that made it into FlexJobs’ top jobs include Customer Success Manager (median salary US$101,184) and Account Director (median salary US$104,053).
A variety of customer management roles make it into the top list, all with a focus on managing the all-important relationship between the business provider and the customer, usually in a B2B (business to business) context. They also develop an intimate understanding of what customers need and represent that back to the business to help with the development of products and services.
Key skills you need are relationship management, communication skills, and a passion for working with people. You are also a great fit if you have problem solving skills and the ability to turn issues into opportunities. Experience in customer relations, user journey mapping, and management are all useful.
Marketing and Sales Roles
The areas of marketing and sales include a lot of different roles, some of which are well paid and others that aren’t. But because connecting with potential customers and turning potential customers into loyal customers is essential to most business models, if you are excellent at what you do and have a senior role in marketing and sales, you can expect to make good money.
Among FlexJobs’ top jobs we saw: Senior Marketing Manager (median salary US$107,438) and Sales Director (median salary US$120,540).
When you work in these kinds of leadership roles you have to understand every aspect of what goes into the sales or marketing pipeline and how to resource and delegate those activities. You also need to understand the bigger picture and how marketing and sales ties in with everything the company does. You need to have a nose for good ideas and what is likely to appeal to target audiences, know how to understand that data to make data-driven and informed decisions, and you have to be excellent and leading and motivating teams, probably remote teams if this is a fully remote position.
Experience in marketing and sales and managing teams is essential, understanding data and analytics will give you a major boost, and you will do well in interview if you can demonstrate where decisions you have made have had a major impact on a business’ performance or bottom line.
Business Development and Product Management
The top jobs list also includes a number of jobs on the product and service development side, where you are taking a leading role in identifying opportunities for the business to grow, optimize, and expand. Jobs in this field include Business Development Director (median salary US$114,579) and Senior Product Manager (median salary US$133,060).
These kinds of roles require a combination of attention to detail and managing tight pipelines to big picture thinking, innovation, and negotiation. As a product Manager, you need to understand everything about your product and see it through a constant lifecycle of development, launch, evaluation, and redevelopment. You have to have an eye on what the user needs, what user needs are likely to look like in a few years, your company’s mission, and what your product is capable of delivering.
Layering in business development, you might be looking for new partnerships to take you business to the next level. You will be looking at what is happening in the market and where you have the opportunity to take greater control of market share.
To successfully apply for these jobs, you need project management experience, and an understanding of customer needs and engagement. For business management you will need to add keen negotiating skills and data analysis.
Machine Learning Experts
AI and automation are at the heart of the future of work, so people who truly understand the technology and can teach machines to do what businesses really need are in high demand. FlexJobs has included on their list Machine Learning Engineer (median salary US$119,111).
You need specialist training to work in the field, and the more experience the better. One Reddit user with ML experience recommend three courses. First, a high-level look at MLOps processes, common challenges, and solutions through courses such as Machine Learning in Production @ Deep Learning. For more hands-on experience, head to NYU’s free online course in Machine Learning Systems, Hands-On Train and Deploy ML on GitHub, and/or Hand-On LLMs @ GitHub. Finally, consider a Generative AI with LLMs course.
Before getting started you need a background in mathematics, programming, and/or computer science.
Cybersecurity Experts
Cybersecurity is an increasingly important area for businesses as most transactions are now conducted online, and distributed teams bounce sensitive data around the globe. Managing IT infrastructure, developing and implementing cybersecurity protocols, managing security teams, and ensuring compliance are all essential tasks. According to FlexJobs, a fully remote Cybersecurity Manager can expect an average salary of US$136,977.
If you want to work in cybersecurity, it is recommended that you have a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field such as math or engineering, and you can go on to do a masters in cybersecurity. You can also attend shorter “bootcamps” that are usually part-time for half a year if you already have a strong IT background. Remote options include Ironhack and Code Fellows.
In terms of professional experience, as well as hard skills such as programming languages, Linux, project management, and IT, consider soft skills such as communication, critical thinking, problem solving, and team management.
What Other Jobs Made the List?
Here are just some of the other jobs that made the list:
- Art Director – makes US$50,000-$112,000 – crafting visual style and tone for magazines, websites, products, and more.
- Clinical Trial Manager – makes US$71,000-$146,000 – recruiting patients and managing the safety, standards, and compliance of the trial.
- Cloud Architect – makes US$87,000-$170,000 – overseeing cloud computing strategies and maintaining capacity and security.
- Finance Director – makes US$68,000-$172,000 – overseeing and managing high-level accounts and establishing financial strategies.
- PR Director – makes US$65,000-$154,000 – overseeing the public image of an organization.
- Psychologist – makes US$56,000-$128,000 – providing mental heath services through online platforms.
But the truth is, whatever area you work in, if you are highly skilled, experienced, and effective, and you are capable of doing your job fully remotely, you can probably land a high-paying fully remote job. It is all about what you bring to the table.
