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Director of public affairs vs manager of corporate communications

The differences between directors of public affairs and managers of corporate communications can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a director of public affairs and a manager of corporate communications. Additionally, a director of public affairs has an average salary of $114,639, which is higher than the $84,161 average annual salary of a manager of corporate communications.

The top three skills for a director of public affairs include government affairs, public policy and external stakeholders. The most important skills for a manager of corporate communications are corporate communications, press releases, and project management.

Director of public affairs vs manager of corporate communications overview

Director Of Public AffairsManager Of Corporate Communications
Yearly salary$114,639$84,161
Hourly rate$55.11$40.46
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs26,29034,908
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

What does a director of public affairs do?

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.

What does a manager of corporate communications do?

A manager of corporate communications is primarily responsible for overseeing the external and internal communications in a company, ensuring everything is running smoothly. They are also responsible for managing marketing communications and public relations, and even developing various marketing content. There are also instances where they must handle a company's social media platforms, review communication materials, and provide progress reports of different projects and programs. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage team members, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Director of public affairs vs manager of corporate communications salary

Directors of public affairs and managers of corporate communications have different pay scales, as shown below.

Director Of Public AffairsManager Of Corporate Communications
Average salary$114,639$84,161
Salary rangeBetween $70,000 And $187,000Between $57,000 And $122,000
Highest paying CityLas Vegas, NVSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNevadaCalifornia
Best paying companyKaiser PermanenteMeta
Best paying industryPharmaceuticalManufacturing

Differences between director of public affairs and manager of corporate communications education

There are a few differences between a director of public affairs and a manager of corporate communications in terms of educational background:

Director Of Public AffairsManager Of Corporate Communications
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Most common majorPolitical ScienceCommunication
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Director of public affairs vs manager of corporate communications demographics

Here are the differences between directors of public affairs' and managers of corporate communications' demographics:

Director Of Public AffairsManager Of Corporate Communications
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 57.6% Female, 42.4%Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1%
Race ratioBlack 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, 6.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between director of public affairs and manager of corporate communications duties and responsibilities

Director of public affairs example responsibilities.

  • Manage crisis communications, securing any media articles and editorials in support of the company.
  • Manage communications with students, alumni and faculty, including distribution of all social media
  • Prepare testimonies for city and state oversight hearings.
  • Revise and place opinion editorials on behalf of the museum's executive director.
  • Produce, edit, and publish issue orient videos for YouTube and internet.
  • Execute Marketing/PR campaigns, events/exhibits, copywriting, and print, broadcast and outdoor advertising.
  • Show more

Manager of corporate communications example responsibilities.

  • Lead rebranding, development and launch of new corporate website.
  • Manage internal SOX testing procedures for the payroll, benefits and compensation departments.
  • Define and manage CRM parameters for marketing intelligence and apply to positioning and messaging strategies for the business.
  • Manage content across multiple channels, including corporate website, social media, Intranet (using SharePoint) and company newsletter.
  • Lead major rebranding project for key subsidiary, gaining critical executive support and participation concurrent with a multi-million dollar cost restructuring.
  • Create Intranet web pages using HTML programming.
  • Show more

Director of public affairs vs manager of corporate communications skills

Common director of public affairs skills
  • Government Affairs, 12%
  • Public Policy, 11%
  • External Stakeholders, 7%
  • Policy Issues, 6%
  • Government Relations, 5%
  • Press Releases, 4%
Common manager of corporate communications skills
  • Corporate Communications, 10%
  • Press Releases, 8%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • External Communications, 6%
  • Strategic Communications, 5%
  • Employee Engagement, 4%

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