How to hire a deputy communications director

How to hire a deputy communications director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step deputy communications director hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a deputy communications director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new deputy communications director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The deputy communications director hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A deputy communications director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, deputy communications directors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of deputy communications directors.

   Type of Deputy Communications Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Deputy Communications Director	Public relations managers plan and direct the creation of material that will maintain or enhance the public image of their employer or client. Fundraising managers coordinate campaigns that bring in donations for their organization.	$25-63
   Campaign Manager	Campaign managers are responsible for developing, executing, and managing marketing campaigns for events, products, and services targeting consumers or organizations. These professionals typically collaborate with external agencies in the preparation and execution of campaigns... Show more	$26-52
   Manager Of Special Events	A manager of special events is responsible for organizing events and programs for a company and various organizations. Managers of special events monitor the event procedures from conceptualization to the actual execution... Show more	$14-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Press Releases
   • Strategic Communications
   • Press Conferences
   • Spokesperson
   • External Communications
   • Web Content
   • Op-Eds
   • Communications Efforts
   • Strategic Plan
   • Fact Sheets
   • Community Relations
   • Press Events
   • Facebook
   • Public Affairs

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and update party website and Facebook page, write content, and upload digital video and photos.
   • Manage homepage, SEO and transformed/redesign social media presence to perpetuate positive, productive image and rally community support.
   • Develop editorial content, seek concept and content clearance, and manage editorial calendar for an e-publication research by a subcontractor.
   • Manage and develop marketing, communication, and implementation process improvements for training curricula and the department's intranet website.
   • Develop, train and implement ROI evaluation model for Snackfood division.
   • Supervise the catalog production and proofreading functions.

   More deputy communications director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your deputy communications director job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A deputy communications director salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, deputy communications directors' average salary in florida is 45% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level deputy communications directors earn 59% less than senior-level deputy communications directors.
   • Certifications. A deputy communications director with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a deputy communications director's salary.

   Average deputy communications director salary

   $85,560yearly

   $41.13 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level deputy communications director salary

   $54,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average deputy communications director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$131,061	$63
   2	Washington	$113,178	$54
   3	New York	$104,342	$50
   4	District of Columbia	$90,265	$43
   5	Maryland	$83,206	$40
   6	Pennsylvania	$81,145	$39
   7	Utah	$78,387	$38
   8	Illinois	$73,261	$35
   9	Minnesota	$72,025	$35
   10	Florida	$67,636	$33

   Average deputy communications director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation	$158,637	$76.27	3
   2	City of Philadelphia	$107,357	$51.61	10
   3	EMILY's List	$94,837	$45.59	5
   4	National Legal Aid & Defender Association	$92,473	$44.46
   5	City of Seattle	$89,990	$43.26	1
   6	TAD PGS	$81,033	$38.96
   7	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	$77,983	$37.49
   8	Colorado State Express	$76,408	$36.73
   9	board of education	$75,848	$36.47
   10	New York State Restaurant Association	$72,274	$34.75
   11	Public Citizen	$71,143	$34.20	3
   12	National Domestic Workers Alliance	$70,668	$33.98
   13	Scion Staffing	$69,149	$33.24
   14	Democratic National Committee	$64,280	$30.90
   15	My Florida Regional Mls	$63,345	$30.45
   16	Nyc Parks	$60,698	$29.18
   17	Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City	$57,834	$27.80	1
   18	Minnesota State Fair	$57,309	$27.55	5
   19	Florida Department of Transportation	$54,862	$26.38
   20	Best Buddies International	$48,781	$23.45	15

4. Writing a deputy communications director job description

   A job description for a deputy communications director role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a deputy communications director job description:

   Deputy communications director job description example

   Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central and Southern New Jersey, Inc. (PPNCSNJ) provides comprehensive reproductive and sexual health care, abortion services, education and information to women, men and teens at 17 health centers throughout 18 counties in New Jersey.
   
   The Deputy Director of Digital Communications is an energized and passionate advocacy professional who uses digital tools to aid in the mission to beat back attacks on reproductive health, build power for Planned Parenthood's work, bring people into our movement and health centers, win big issue fights, and protect our brand. This person will craft and execute digital campaigns through multiple channels with measurable results in support of campaigns to enhance visibility for Planned Parenthood and shape debates on public policy.
   ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/ACCOUNTABILITIES:
   The Deputy Director of Digital Communications performs a wide range of duties, including, but not limited to, the following:
   
   Manage external communications with Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central, and Southern New Jersey (PPNCSNJ) and Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey (PPAFNJ) supporters through online advocacy platform (EveryAction), including drafting and sending local and statewide email blasts, setting up advocacy and donation forms, and maintenance of constituent database.
   
   Oversee day-to-day operations of our social media platforms across both PPNCSNJ and PPAFNJ, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok, through regular production and posting of on-brand content to engage and inspire digital supporters through a managed content calendar.
   
   Stays engaged in new digital trends and opportunities, both through the reproductive justice movement and also more general trends.
   
   Creates and maintains a thematic and timely online calendar, across all facets of PPNCSNJ and PPAFNJ handles, that encompasses larger External Affairs priorities. Collaboration with Development, Education and Medical Services teams as appropriate.
   
   Execute online fundraising campaigns for PPNCSNJ and PPAFNJ, with an eye towards continually building opportunities for donor support throughout all digital efforts.
   
   Engage grassroots supporters in digital advocacy with creative opportunities for online and offline engagement.
   
   Create various digital creative and multimedia elements for digital and offline use.
   
   Maintain multiple organizational and campaign websites with up-to-date information.
   
   Assist multiple agency stakeholders in supporting programmatic goals through social media advertising.
   
   Execute rapid response to attacks and opportunities - defending our brand, and injecting our patient, donors, and volunteers' voices into important debates.
   
   Define, track, measure and report on the effectiveness of digital campaigns across platforms.
   
   Develop systems and work plans to ensure an orderly workflow process and a high level of customer service satisfaction among colleagues seeking collaboration on communications projects.
   
   Conduct all of the above work through a lens of ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion for all staff, patients, volunteers, supporters, and community members.
   
   Other duties as assigned.
   
   KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
   The ideal candidate will be an exceptional state-level leader able to both view projects at a macro level while also keeping track of the most granular of details. They must be unflappable, with excellent people skills, in particular partnership and relationship building with both internal and external stakeholders, and impeccable discretion. While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes and experiences:
   
   Demonstrated successful experience in nonprofit communications, advocacy, marketing, organizing, or political or legislative environments.
   
   Visible results in using digital communications to influence policy debates.
   
   Knowledge of digital organizing basics and tactics.
   
   Professional-level social media platform usage (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok).
   
   Strong graphic design skills (Indesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and/or Canva).
   
   Ability to manage program and staff resources and a budget judiciously and resourcefully in an environment of rapid change.
   
   Strategic thinker with the ability to help team assess challenges and identify untapped resources.
   
   Effective communicator who can connect and build consensus with various constituencies.
   
   Bilingual-Spanish speaking a plus
   
   REQUIREMENTS:Minimum Work Experience: 3-5 years.Other Requirements: Valid driver's license. Reliable transportation for travel throughout state. Education: GED or High School degree required. College degree in Government, Political Science, Public Affairs, Communications, Graphic Design or similar a plus.
   Beyond a meaningful career and an excellent benefits package, we offer career development opportunities and a supportive work culture. In addition to a competitive salary, PPNCSNJ offers medical, dental, vision, life insurance and a 401(k) plan.
   
   PPGNNJ is committed to creating a diverse workforce and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to color, race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find deputy communications directors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your deputy communications director job on Zippia to find and recruit deputy communications director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit deputy communications directors, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new deputy communications director

   Once you've selected the best deputy communications director candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new deputy communications director. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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