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The differences between directors strategic communications and public relations directors 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 strategic communications and a public relations director. Additionally, a director strategic communications has an average salary of $105,320, which is higher than the $94,692 average annual salary of a public relations director.
The top three skills for a director strategic communications include project management, business development and professional development. The most important skills for a public relations director are press releases, web content, and pr campaigns.
| Director Strategic Communications | Public Relations Director | |
| Yearly salary | $105,320 | $94,692 |
| Hourly rate | $50.63 | $45.52 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 30,746 | 31,693 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A director of strategic communications is responsible for monitoring the strategic communications of an organization, relating to the media relations and dissemination of information across the company and public platforms to promote brand image and close deals with business partners. Directors of strategic communications identify efficient marketing techniques and opportunities to gain more resources for revenue by analyzing the current trends to develop new services and improve existing ones. A director of strategic communications must be highly communicative and organizational, especially on coordinating with project teams to support business functions.
A public relations director is an individual who is employed to design and implement marketing strategies that can cultivate the relationship between a company and the media. Public relations directors collaborate with the internal team to boost brand awareness and maximize brand consistency in all advertising efforts. They must arrange interviews and press releases so that they can promote their company and its products or services. They also maintain relationships with the media and should manage sensitive issues to maintain the company's good reputation.
Directors strategic communications and public relations directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Director Strategic Communications | Public Relations Director | |
| Average salary | $105,320 | $94,692 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $167,000 | Between $59,000 And $150,000 |
| Highest paying City | Carson City, NV | Napa, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Nevada |
| Best paying company | The Hatcher Group | Exelixis |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Internet |
There are a few differences between a director strategic communications and a public relations director in terms of educational background:
| Director Strategic Communications | Public Relations Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between directors strategic communications' and public relations directors' demographics:
| Director Strategic Communications | Public Relations Director | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.7% Female, 38.3% | Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |