What does a communications director do?
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.
Communications director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real communications director resumes:
- Assist in managing the Facebook and Instagram pages.
- Develop and manage c-level strategic client relationships to grow revenue base.
- Create and manage corporate website, online demand gen through SEO and SEM.
- Manage editorial content of the organization website, build and upload web pages via HTML.
- Manage the marketing strategy and budget, including B2C acquisition campaigns focuse on out of home and DRTV.
- Manage media relations, announcements, editorial placement, and speaking opportunities the organizations.
- Utilize Pagemaker 7.0 and Photoshop 7.0 in creation of these publications.
- Draft news releases and advisories, op-eds, scripts for cable show and constituent newsletters.
- Engage with marketing & regulatory affairs to ensure solution in line with propose FDA guidance on medical applications.
- Cultivate and guide marketing, creative staff in content creation for social, video, e-commerce and CRM.
- Create conversations on IDSA's LinkedIn page and other relate groups that result in increase awareness for the society.
- Create an online merchandising store via the intranet, and develop online marketing standards for internal and external usage.
- Research needs, plan logistics and establish offices, exercises, conferences, and remote locations for executive staff.
- Prepare and update (according to FDA changes) scientific response letters to health care professionals and product dossiers.
- Initiate resident support services in accordance with the land use restriction agreement during successful implementation of the LIHTC program.
Communications director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Communications Directors are proficient in Web Content, Press Releases, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Problem-solving skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Communications Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Web Content, 8%
Co-chaired Agency-wide council responsible for development and implementation of Web content policy, procedures and standards.
- Press Releases, 8%
Managed media relations by cultivating relationships with media outlets, writing effective press releases, and proactively pitching/writing stories for publication.
- Customer Service, 7%
Design, develop and implement customer service and customer retention processes and continuously review procedures for streamlining and process improvement opportunities.
- External Communications, 5%
Developed and implemented internal/external communications initiatives designed to reinforce company's image and complement and contribute toward company's strategic objectives.
- Project Management, 4%
Established a project management methodology to more quickly and effectively deliver products, including websites and publications, for internal clients.
- Employee Engagement, 4%
Carved strategic alliances across Paramount, positioning Internal Communications as the hub of employee engagement and communication activity.
Common skills that a communications director uses to do their job include "web content," "press releases," and "customer service." You can find details on the most important communications director responsibilities below.
Leadership skills. One of the key soft skills for a communications director to have is leadership skills. You can see how this relates to what communications directors do because "public relations and fundraising managers often lead large teams of specialists or fundraisers and must be able to guide their activities." Additionally, a communications director resume shows how communications directors use leadership skills: "received overwhelmingly positive feedback from hr, corporate leadership and the presenter trainees. "
Problem-solving skills. Another essential skill to perform communications director duties is problem-solving skills. Communications directors responsibilities require that "managers sometimes must explain how the company or client is handling sensitive issues." Communications directors also use problem-solving skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "perform all necessary hr functions including conflict resolution, annual performance reviews, and counseling. "
Speaking skills. This is an important skill for communications directors to perform their duties. For an example of how communications director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "public relations and fundraising managers regularly speak on behalf of their organization." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a communications director: "represented both internal and hr communications on the aol crisis management team. ".
Writing skills. communications director responsibilities often require "writing skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "managers must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases and speeches." This resume example shows what communications directors do with writing skills on a typical day: "participated in planning long-term corporate strategies and spearheaded corporate re-branding including packaging redesign and upgrading/rewriting of collateral materials and website. "
Communication skills. A commonly-found skill in communications director job descriptions, "communication skills" is essential to what communications directors do. Communications director responsibilities rely on this skill because "managers deal with the public regularly; therefore, they must be friendly enough to build a rapport with, and receive cooperation from, their media contacts and donors." You can also see how communications director duties rely on communication skills in this resume example: "gained broader news coverage by developing and implementing communications operating structure complete with digital campaign materials distribution and live event webcasts. "
Organizational skills. Another skill commonly found on communications director job descriptions is "organizational skills." It can come up quite often in communications director duties, since "public relations and fundraising managers are often in charge of running several events at the same time, requiring superior organizational skills." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day communications director responsibilities: "anticipated and planned communication strategies for organizational changes and specific organizational events: new services, product launches and hr issues. "
The three companies that hire the most communications directors are:
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Compare different communications directors
Communications director vs. Director, customer relations
Director of Customer Relations is responsible for leading the design and improvement of an organization's overall customer service experience. Their duties include developing customer service budget, driving customer service process improvements, implementing customer service agents, managing email and telephony customer service routing, and creating training programs for customer service staff. They are responsible for improving customer service performance metrics, overseeing key change management projects, and establishing a customer service roadmap. The Director of customer relations also helps in developing recruitment initiatives to attract top talents.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between communications directors and director, customer relations. For instance, communications director responsibilities require skills such as "web content," "customer service," "external communications," and "project management." Whereas a director, customer relations is skilled in "customer relations," "leveraged," "government relations," and "payroll." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Directors, customer relations really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $124,365. Comparatively, communications directors tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $109,135.The education levels that directors, customer relations earn slightly differ from communications directors. In particular, directors, customer relations are 5.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a communications director. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Communications director vs. Director of public affairs
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.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that communications director responsibilities requires skills like "web content," "customer service," "project management," and "employee engagement." But a director of public affairs might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "government affairs," "public policy," "external stakeholders," and "policy issues."
Directors of public affairs may earn a higher salary than communications directors, but directors of public affairs earn the most pay in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $137,872. On the other hand, communications directors receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $109,135.directors of public affairs earn similar levels of education than communications directors in general. They're 2.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Communications director vs. Public relations manager
A public relations manager is responsible for monitoring the public relations department to boost its brand image and attract potential clients through press releases and media coverage. They work closely with the marketing team, developing marketing campaigns and promotional strategies for creating brand awareness. Public relations managers maintain the company's presence on various social media platforms, responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns regarding the company's goods and services. A public relations manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in identifying business opportunities to increase revenues and profitability.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, communications directors are more likely to have skills like "customer service," "project management," "employee engagement," and "executive communications." But a public relations manager is more likely to have skills like "marketing campaigns," "digital marketing," "brand awareness," and "press materials."
Public relations managers earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $114,540. Communications directors earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $109,135.When it comes to education, public relations managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to communications directors. In fact, they're 3.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Communications director vs. Communications/senior communications manager
A communications/senior communications manager specializes in handling and overseeing internal and external communications within a workplace, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Their responsibilities typically revolve around developing strategies for better workforce and public communications, crafting marketing materials such as press kits and newsletters, and coordinating with other departments to create new materials and opportunities for marketing. A communications/senior communications manager may also participate in managing social media operations and launching strategies for product launches and events. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the team, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between communications directors and communications/senior communications managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a communications director might have more use for skills like "community outreach," "oversight," "spokesperson," and "graphic design." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of communications/senior communications managers require skills like "strategic communications," "patients," "executive leadership," and "sr."
Communications/senior communications managers enjoy the best pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $107,621. For comparison, communications directors earn the highest salary in the health care industry.In general, communications/senior communications managers hold similar degree levels compared to communications directors. Communications/senior communications managers are 1.3% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of communications director
Updated January 8, 2025
