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Communications manager vs director

The differences between communications managers and directors 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 manager, becoming a director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a director has an average salary of $113,489, which is higher than the $81,304 average annual salary of a communications manager.

The top three skills for a communications manager include customer service, property management and yardi. The most important skills for a director are healthcare, customer service, and oversight.

Communications manager vs director overview

Communications ManagerDirector
Yearly salary$81,304$113,489
Hourly rate$39.09$54.56
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs26,350230,711
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4240
Years of experience46

What does a communications manager do?

A communications manager is responsible for overseeing a company or organization's public relations by devising various strategies and finding new opportunities. They must craft and produce marketing materials such as campaigns, advertisements, newsletters, social media engagements, and press releases to shape and improve a brand or company. Furthermore, a communications manager must accomplish administrative tasks such as preparing reports and necessary documentation, reaching out to advertisers, leading communication letters, and coordinating with marketing personnel from other departments.

What does a director do?

Directors work in show business, whether in a film, a television show, or a theatre production. They are responsible for bringing the material to life. They work with the writers to get a clear vision of how the production should look. They lead the production team in planning for the production, identifying filming or rehearsing schedules, casting for roles, and other aspects that need to be decided upon. Directors provide direction to the actors to ensure that the actors understand their role and will be able to effectively convey emotions to the audience. They also manage all other crew members and communicate their expectations clearly so that everyone on the set is working towards one vision.

Communications manager vs director salary

Communications managers and directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Communications ManagerDirector
Average salary$81,304$113,489
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $122,000Between $66,000 And $192,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew York
Best paying companyMcKinsey & Company IncMayo Clinic
Best paying industry-Finance

Differences between communications manager and director education

There are a few differences between a communications manager and a director in terms of educational background:

Communications ManagerDirector
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaStanford University

Communications manager vs director demographics

Here are the differences between communications managers' and directors' demographics:

Communications ManagerDirector
Average age4240
Gender ratioMale, 34.9% Female, 65.1%Male, 53.2% Female, 46.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage16%14%

Differences between communications manager and director duties and responsibilities

Communications manager example responsibilities.

  • Co-administered sales campaigns in Salesforce, CRM to efficiently manage sales productivity of communication and leads.
  • Lead and manage marketing department's copywriting and editing team and develop many aspects of corporate communication.
  • Manage creative agency relationships and lead execution of commercial excellence awards program, Americas mid-year growth summit and kick-off meetings.
  • Manage all Medicaid paperwork, manage staff payroll, client attendance.
  • Manage all facets of community programs and recruitment for HIV prevention clinical trials.
  • Train in YARDI to complete daily transitions, manage resident ledgers and prepare weekly/monthly reports.
  • Show more

Director example responsibilities.

  • Manage water metering programs for NYC and national portfolio.
  • Collaborate with the CPA to manage financials and reporting / distribution to physicians.
  • Manage OEM manufacturing partners for making bulk solutions, product fills and final packaging.
  • Lead company's first deep-fill structural project, bring company into EPA compliance, establish effective QA-QC program.
  • Develop company website entirely as well as wrote and manage the SEO and upkeep for overall site maintenance.
  • Manage the company's hotel portfolio operations and assets, including renovation, new build, conversions, and rebranding.
  • Show more

Communications manager vs director skills

Common communications manager skills
  • Customer Service, 16%
  • Property Management, 9%
  • Yardi, 5%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • Press Releases, 4%
  • Web Content, 4%
Common director skills
  • Healthcare, 10%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Oversight, 7%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Human Resources, 4%
  • Business Development, 4%

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