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The differences between 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 communications officer and a director of public affairs. Additionally, a director of public affairs has an average salary of $114,639, which is higher than the $40,161 average annual salary of a communications officer.
The top three skills for a communications officer include affordable housing, non-emergency telephone calls and customer service. The most important skills for a director of public affairs are government affairs, public policy, and external stakeholders.
| Communications Officer | Director Of Public Affairs | |
| Yearly salary | $40,161 | $114,639 |
| Hourly rate | $19.31 | $55.11 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 73,260 | 26,290 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A communications officer is responsible for maintaining the brand image of an organization through monitoring marketing campaigns and public relations techniques. Communications officers handle press releases, social media management, media outreach, reviewing digital contents, and disseminating public communications within the company's premises and appropriate audience. They often coordinate with the senior management to develop strategic procedures to improve brand awareness, attracting potential partnerships that would generate more revenues and increase the company's profitability. A communications officer must have excellent leadership skills to monitor the performance of the communications staff and ensure maximum productivity.
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 officers and directors of public affairs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Officer | Director Of Public Affairs | |
| Average salary | $40,161 | $114,639 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $62,000 | Between $70,000 And $187,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Las Vegas, NV |
| Highest paying state | New York | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Morgan Stanley | Kaiser Permanente |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a communications officer and a director of public affairs in terms of educational background:
| Communications Officer | Director Of Public Affairs | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Political Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between communications officers' and directors of public affairs' demographics:
| Communications Officer | Director Of Public Affairs | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.3% Female, 55.7% | Male, 57.6% Female, 42.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.5% 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% |