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The differences between communications officers and public relations directors 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 public relations director. Additionally, a public relations director has an average salary of $94,692, 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 public relations director are press releases, web content, and pr campaigns.
| Communications Officer | Public Relations Director | |
| Yearly salary | $40,161 | $94,692 |
| Hourly rate | $19.31 | $45.52 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 73,260 | 31,693 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| 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.
A public relations director is an individual who is employed to design and implement marketing strategies that can cultivate the relationship between a company and the media. Public relations directors collaborate with the internal team to boost brand awareness and maximize brand consistency in all advertising efforts. They must arrange interviews and press releases so that they can promote their company and its products or services. They also maintain relationships with the media and should manage sensitive issues to maintain the company's good reputation.
Communications officers and public relations directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Officer | Public Relations Director | |
| Average salary | $40,161 | $94,692 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $62,000 | Between $59,000 And $150,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Napa, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Morgan Stanley | Exelixis |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Internet |
There are a few differences between a communications officer and a public relations director in terms of educational background:
| Communications Officer | Public Relations Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Communication |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between communications officers' and public relations directors' demographics:
| Communications Officer | Public Relations Director | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.3% Female, 55.7% | Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1% |
| 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, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |