What does a coordinator of public affairs do?
A coordinator of public affairs is in charge of coordinating activities to improve an organization's positive relationship with the public. Their responsibilities include developing programs to enhance brand awareness and public image, setting goals and guidelines, managing staff, and liaising with media representatives. They must also organize public events while adhering to the company's vision and mission, including its policies and regulations. Moreover, a coordinator of public affairs must be quick to do damage control, resolving issues promptly and efficiently.
Coordinator of public affairs responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real coordinator of public affairs resumes:
- Produce internal HTML department newsletter and manage content for internal team SharePoint site.
- Manage all social media for the federal affairs practice including twitter, facebook, and blog postings.
- Develop PowerPoint presentation and assist in managing activities on event days.
- Manage financial responsibilities including payroll, billing and monthly grant reporting.
- Assist veterans and families with deployment/relocation initiatives and direct individuals to local, state, and federal agencies.
- Input part time instructor information using SharePoint.
- Draft response letter to the FDA communications resulting from labeling deficiencies for generic and brand products.
- Publicize JROTC unit events for the public and the Jefferson Silva high school population of students and alumni.
- Create images and content of labeling to be list on dailyme (FDA's drug listing website).
- Forge partnerships with every major NYC chamber of commerce, and place a company representative on each governing body.
- Maintain up to date information on medical license, DEA, CME, vacation, rotation stats, expenses.
- Conduct multi departmental post mortem to reconcile budgets, discuss best practices, determine ROI and establish future conference schedule.
- Develop and modify physicians PowerPoint presentations.
- Provide military veterans with admission and registration requirements for TSU as well as transfer institutions.
- Compile residency data statistics and design and implement tracking processes of alumni and student research and publications.
Coordinator of public affairs skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Coordinators Of Public Affairs are proficient in PowerPoint, Government Affairs, and Event Planning. They’re also known for soft skills such as Speaking skills, Writing skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Coordinators Of Public Affairs that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- PowerPoint, 14%
Developed PowerPoint presentation and assisted in managing activities on event days.
- Government Affairs, 10%
Assisted in the development and implementation of annual government affairs plan/budget.
- Event Planning, 6%
Company Event Planning-Researching/creating new ways for team building events that create positive growth.
- External Stakeholders, 5%
Developed executive roundtables and tours with media, external stakeholders, and new staff.
- Alumni, 5%
Planned biannual Family and Alumni Receptions open to 25 years of alumni and over 200 current program members.
- Federal Regulations, 4%
Partnered with local small and large businesses to drive compliance with state and federal regulations.
"powerpoint," "government affairs," and "event planning" are among the most common skills that coordinators of public affairs use at work. You can find even more coordinator of public affairs responsibilities below, including:
Speaking skills. One of the key soft skills for a coordinator of public affairs to have is speaking skills. You can see how this relates to what coordinators of public affairs do because "public relations specialists regularly speak on behalf of clients or their organization." Additionally, a coordinator of public affairs resume shows how coordinators of public affairs use speaking skills: "acted as media coordinator and spokesman for government affairs efforts. "
Writing skills. Another essential skill to perform coordinator of public affairs duties is writing skills. Coordinators of public affairs responsibilities require that "public relations specialists must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases, speeches, and social media posts." Coordinators of public affairs also use writing skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "contributed to writing and distribution of press releases set forth by network. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of coordinators of public affairs is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday coordinator of public affairs duties, as "public relations specialists sometimes must explain how a company or client is handling sensitive issues." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "investigated and resolved escalated customer complaints that reached the senior leadership level. "
Interpersonal skills. A big part of what coordinators of public affairs do relies on "interpersonal skills." You can see how essential it is to coordinator of public affairs responsibilities because "public relations specialists deal with the public and the media regularly." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical coordinator of public affairs tasks: "demonstrated excellent organizational, interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills with clients, supervisor, and command leadership. "
Organizational skills. Another common skill required for coordinator of public affairs responsibilities is "organizational skills." This skill comes up in the duties of coordinators of public affairs all the time, as "public relations specialists are often in charge of managing several events or communications at the same time, which requires excellent skills in coordinating arrangements." An excerpt from a real coordinator of public affairs resume shows how this skill is central to what a coordinator of public affairs does: "prepared and edited organizational publications for internal and external audiences, prepared press releases for distribution to media. "
The three companies that hire the most coordinator of public affairss are:
- Houston Methodist3 coordinators of public affairs jobs
- University of Colorado3 coordinators of public affairs jobs
- AbbVie2 coordinators of public affairs jobs
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Compare different coordinators of public affairs
Coordinator of public affairs vs. Media relations assistant
A media relations assistant is an entry-level media and public relation professional. They offer administrative support to a public relations department within an organization. They perform a number of tasks such as researching relevant trends and data that help with the company's PR campaign, helping create marketing materials, maintaining relationships with existing clients, and working to find new clients. They also have to keep accurate correspondence records and monitor social media accounts.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between coordinators of public affairs and media relations assistant. For instance, coordinator of public affairs responsibilities require skills such as "government affairs," "external stakeholders," "alumni," and "federal regulations." Whereas a media relations assistant is skilled in "athletics website," "press conferences," "alumni events," and "ncaa." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Media relations assistants tend to reach lower levels of education than coordinators of public affairs. In fact, media relations assistants are 6.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Coordinator of public affairs vs. Public relations associate
A public relations associate is responsible for assisting the operations of the public relations department on developing campaigns and promotions to promote brand image on various digital platforms and other communication mediums. Public relations associates handle press releases, create digital content, organize public events, and identify business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources and attract potential clients. They also disseminate accurate information to the public regarding company news and special announcements. A public relations associate must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on adhering to deadlines and business requirements.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real coordinator of public affairs resumes. While coordinator of public affairs responsibilities can utilize skills like "government affairs," "provides administrative support," "external stakeholders," and "alumni," public relations associates use skills like "web content," "twitter," "linkedin," and "writing press releases."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Public relations associates tend to reach lower levels of education than coordinators of public affairs. In fact, they're 7.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Coordinator of public affairs vs. Public relations assistant
A public relations assistant is responsible for assisting the development of promotional campaigns based on clients' specifications to boost brand awareness and generate sales for the company. Public relations assistants support the organization's public relations department, such as handling press releases, monitoring social media platforms, scheduling media advertisements, and perform market research to identify close competitors and adjust campaign strategies as needed. They also perform administrative duties, responding to the client's inquiries and concerns, conducting customer surveys, and requesting supplies for marketing campaigns, requiring them to have excellent communication and customer service skills.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a coordinator of public affairs is likely to be skilled in "government affairs," "provides administrative support," "external stakeholders," and "alumni," while a typical public relations assistant is skilled in "twitter," "press conferences," "instagram," and "press kits."
Public relations assistants typically earn lower educational levels compared to coordinators of public affairs. Specifically, they're 8.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Coordinator of public affairs vs. Media relations specialist
A media relations specialist's role is to help a company maintain good public relations through various forms of media, ensuring to convey their brand's purpose and message. Their responsibilities typically revolve around developing strategies and opportunities, producing newsletters and press releases, remaining updated with the latest trends, and even managing the company's social media platforms. A media relations specialist may also delegate tasks to writers and graphic designers, arrange schedules, and ensure that all goals are met within the expected deadline and budget.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between coordinators of public affairs and media relations specialists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a coordinator of public affairs might have more use for skills like "government affairs," "provides administrative support," "external stakeholders," and "federal regulations." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of media relations specialists require skills like "patients," "compassion," "excellent interpersonal," and "data entry. "
Media relations specialists reach lower levels of education compared to coordinators of public affairs, in general. The difference is that they're 6.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of coordinator of public affairs
Updated January 8, 2025
