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The differences between chief communications officers and directors of public affairs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a chief communications officer and a director of public affairs. Additionally, a chief communications officer has an average salary of $115,086, which is higher than the $114,639 average annual salary of a director of public affairs.
The top three skills for a chief communications officer include crisis communications, external communications and CCO. The most important skills for a director of public affairs are government affairs, public policy, and external stakeholders.
| Chief Communications Officer | Director Of Public Affairs | |
| Yearly salary | $115,086 | $114,639 |
| Hourly rate | $55.33 | $55.11 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 80,711 | 26,290 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A chief communications officer oversees internal relations and researches public employees. Most of the chief communications officers spend a massive amount of time interacting with the chief marketing officers of their organization. They are responsible for management issues and may offer risk management in industries that are prone to hazard, risk, and product failure. They provide wise counsel to the senior team whenever major decisions are debated. They act in many ways as representatives of many publics who are not in the room when these decisions are made. These officers also help the organization translate strategy to action.
Directors of Public Affairs are executives who manage the public relations and communications initiatives of the company. They oversee all external communications that are intended for broadcast. They create guidelines on the proper crafting of communication materials that will be published or broadcasted. They also lead the public affairs department in networking activities and industry events. Directors of Public Affairs must be level-headed, calm, and creative. They should know how to communicate with the public, handle crises, and create successful brands.
Chief communications officers and directors of public affairs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Communications Officer | Director Of Public Affairs | |
| Average salary | $115,086 | $114,639 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $208,000 | Between $70,000 And $187,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Las Vegas, NV |
| Highest paying state | - | Nevada |
| Best paying company | - | Kaiser Permanente |
| Best paying industry | - | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a chief communications officer and a director of public affairs in terms of educational background:
| Chief Communications Officer | Director Of Public Affairs | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Communication | Political Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between chief communications officers' and directors of public affairs' demographics:
| Chief Communications Officer | Director Of Public Affairs | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.5% Female, 40.5% | Male, 57.6% Female, 42.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |