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What is a director of corporate relations and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

A director of corporate relations helps their company maintain positive relationships with consumers, as well as other businesses, and are tasked with developing and improving the local, regional, and national image and reputation for the company. They also serve a leadership role for a relations team to help the company achieve goals in public relations, and they must be able to interact daily with these teams to create story development and provide a social media outlet.

Some of the tasks that they perform in this capacity include developing and maintain existing and new corporate partners and funding, writing and providing reports for corporate partners and organization executives, and creating plans for expansion whilst tracking and analyzing contributions. Qualifications include a bachelor's degree in a relevant field; however, a master's degree will be given preference. Moreover, prior work experience in a related field of over five years is also necessary. Essential skills needed include leadership, communication, interpersonal, analytical, and organizational.

The average hourly salary for the position is $46.72, which equates to $97,179 annually. The career is expected to grow substantially in the near future and create new opportunities across the United States.

ScoreDirector Of Corporate RelationsUS Average
Salary
7.7

Avg. Salary $103,164

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.7

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.42%

Asian 5.12%

Black or African American 5.95%

Hispanic or Latino 9.11%

Unknown 4.66%

White 74.74%

Gender

female 58.29%

male 41.71%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress level
8.7

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.4

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Director of corporate relations career paths

Key steps to become a director of corporate relations

  1. Explore director of corporate relations education requirements

    Most common director of corporate relations degrees

    Bachelor's

    73.5 %

    Master's

    18.8 %

    Associate

    3.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific director of corporate relations skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Foundation Relations12.30%
    Alumni10.82%
    Corporate Relations9.11%
    Professional Development4.84%
    Corporate Donors4.73%
  3. Complete relevant director of corporate relations training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New directors of corporate relations learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a director of corporate relations based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real director of corporate relations resumes.
  4. Research director of corporate relations duties and responsibilities

    • Manage the complete accounting and reporting cycle and ensure compliance with GAAP.
    • Manage financial operations of the organization, including monthly bank account reconciliation, cash flow, accounts payable and payroll.
    • Program development includes managing and building strong relationships with corporate and affinity partners to secure sponsorship and career enhancement for alumni
    • Stay abreast of developments in CMS, compliance and regulatory guidelines.
  5. Get director of corporate relations experience

    Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a director of corporate relations. The most common roles before becoming a director of corporate relations include development director, executive director team lead and director.
  6. Prepare your director of corporate relations resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your director of corporate relations resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a director of corporate relations resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable director of corporate relations resume templates

    Build a professional director of corporate relations resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your director of corporate relations resume.
    Director Of Corporate Relations Resume
    Director Of Corporate Relations Resume
    Director Of Corporate Relations Resume
    Director Of Corporate Relations Resume
    Director Of Corporate Relations Resume
    Director Of Corporate Relations Resume
    Director Of Corporate Relations Resume
    Director Of Corporate Relations Resume
    Director Of Corporate Relations Resume
  7. Apply for director of corporate relations jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a director of corporate relations job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first director of corporate relations job

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Average director of corporate relations salary

The average director of corporate relations salary in the United States is $103,164 per year or $50 per hour. Director of corporate relations salaries range between $66,000 and $160,000 per year.

Average director of corporate relations salary
$103,164 Yearly
$49.60 hourly

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Director of corporate relations reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019
Cons

marketing especially retailing products and or fundraising


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Cons

- The pressure of securing funds. - comparing the role with sales and/or fundraising - lack of response from donors you are reaching out to. It made me feel as if I wasn't doing my job of connecting with them.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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