Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between communications directors and marketing communications managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a communications director, becoming a marketing communications manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a communications director has an average salary of $107,700, which is higher than the $84,146 average annual salary of a marketing communications manager.
The top three skills for a communications director include web content, press releases and customer service. The most important skills for a marketing communications manager are web content, marketing campaigns, and digital marketing.
| Communications Director | Marketing Communications Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $107,700 | $84,146 |
| Hourly rate | $51.78 | $40.45 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 27,939 | 106,556 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 10 |
A communications director is responsible for monitoring and supervising the overall media relations from internal to external communications. A communications director's duties include managing campaigns, providing organizational updates to the employees, supporting social media marketing, developing effective communication strategies to build the organization's reputation, and efficiently leading team members in handling events that represent the business. Communications directors must have strong leadership and communication skills to provide support for the company's daily operations and strategies.
A marketing communications manager's role is to oversee all operations involving media and public relations. They are primarily responsible for devising marketing strategies and programs to improve brand awareness, handling communications and various issues within the company, and crafting communication strategies for product launches and other events. Furthermore, they also must handle correspondence, take the lead in creating newsletters, press releases, and other mediums, ensuring that they align in the company's vision, mission, and regulations. As a marketing communications manager, it is essential to lead and encourage staff while implementing company policies and guidelines.
Communications directors and marketing communications managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Director | Marketing Communications Manager | |
| Average salary | $107,700 | $84,146 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $188,000 | Between $60,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Washington |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Boston Consulting Group |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Finance |
There are a few differences between a communications director and a marketing communications manager in terms of educational background:
| Communications Director | Marketing Communications Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between communications directors' and marketing communications managers' demographics:
| Communications Director | Marketing Communications Manager | |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.2% Female, 59.8% | Male, 32.3% Female, 67.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 10% |