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The differences between communications leads and directors of public affairs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a communications lead, becoming a director of public affairs takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a director of public affairs has an average salary of $114,639, which is higher than the $96,988 average annual salary of a communications lead.
The top three skills for a communications lead include project management, strategic communications and HR. The most important skills for a director of public affairs are government affairs, public policy, and external stakeholders.
| Communications Lead | Director Of Public Affairs | |
| Yearly salary | $96,988 | $114,639 |
| Hourly rate | $46.63 | $55.11 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 20,413 | 26,290 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
The global senior program manager acts as a coordinator for the organization's projects and performs various tasks including supervision, account management, daily staff assignments, budget planning, cost control, and tracking program expenses by collaborating with various global departments to enhance all global programs. He/she should have excellent analytical, decision-making, leadership, and organization skills and knowledge about project management to be able to oversee and organize activities to ensure its compliance with the organization's goals.
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.
Communications leads and directors of public affairs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Lead | Director Of Public Affairs | |
| Average salary | $96,988 | $114,639 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $139,000 | Between $70,000 And $187,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Las Vegas, NV |
| Highest paying state | California | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Meta | Kaiser Permanente |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a communications lead and a director of public affairs in terms of educational background:
| Communications Lead | Director Of Public Affairs | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | Political Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between communications leads' and directors of public affairs' demographics:
| Communications Lead | Director Of Public Affairs | |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.4% Female, 58.6% | Male, 57.6% Female, 42.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | 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 | 14% | 16% |