Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between directors of public affairs and assistant directors, communications can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a director of public affairs, becoming an assistant director, communications takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a director of public affairs has an average salary of $114,639, which is higher than the $54,965 average annual salary of an assistant director, communications.
The top three skills for a director of public affairs include government affairs, public policy and external stakeholders. The most important skills for an assistant director, communications are customer service, property management, and professional development.
| Director Of Public Affairs | Assistant Director, Communications | |
| Yearly salary | $114,639 | $54,965 |
| Hourly rate | $55.11 | $26.43 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 26,290 | 36,340 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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.
An assistant communications director is responsible for managing the communicative operations across the company, handling the dissemination of information among employees, and releasing management announcements to media platforms. Assistant communications directors draft project techniques and strategies, as well as monitoring social media contents and press releases. They also identify business opportunities by analyzing recent trends that would generate more revenue resources and increase the company's profits. An assistant communications director must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in assessing business information to prevent miscommunications and negative publications.
Directors of public affairs and assistant directors, communications have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Director Of Public Affairs | Assistant Director, Communications | |
| Average salary | $114,639 | $54,965 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $187,000 | Between $30,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Kaiser Permanente | Pace University |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Government |
There are a few differences between a director of public affairs and an assistant director, communications in terms of educational background:
| Director Of Public Affairs | Assistant Director, Communications | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Political Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between directors of public affairs' and assistant directors, communications' demographics:
| Director Of Public Affairs | Assistant Director, Communications | |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.6% Female, 42.4% | Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 5.2% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 12% |