What does a public relations and communications director do?
The public relations and communication director is an executive professional who is responsible for directing the public relations department within an organization as well as managing a staff of PR and communication managers. This director must work with media outlets to publish company information while ensuring the consistency of their communication strategy. The director is required to increase online supporters by building and sustaining online communities and managing the social media community. This director must also collaborate with the marketing department to develop plans related to advertising, marketing, and promotion.
Public relations and communications director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real public relations and communications director resumes:
- Maintain strong working relationships across all departments to manage successful on-site opportunities, content and multimedia asset development and spokesperson requests.
- Maintain strong working relationships across all departments to manage successful on-site opportunities, content and multimedia asset development and spokesperson requests.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate CSR strategy, infrastructure and initiatives.
Public relations and communications director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Public Relations And Communications Directors are proficient in Press Releases, Crisis Communications, and External Communications. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Problem-solving skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Public Relations And Communications Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Press Releases, 17%
Typed and distributed professional press releases based on content created by public relations specialists.
- Crisis Communications, 7%
Developed the company's first crisis communications plan, convincing executive management of its importance and subsequently serving as initial point-of-contact.
- External Communications, 6%
Manage budget and allocation of resources for internal and external communications initiatives across the firm.
- Community Relations, 6%
Conceived and executed social media/community relations campaign for amateur soccer organization with five teams along Colorado's Front Range.
- Strategic Communications, 5%
Provided strategic communications and public relations counsel to CEO and executive leadership.
- Communications Plan, 5%
Served as organization's Public Information Officer by maintaining regular internal communications, and emergency communications planning.
Common skills that a public relations and communications director uses to do their job include "press releases," "crisis communications," and "external communications." You can find details on the most important public relations and communications director responsibilities below.
Leadership skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a public relations and communications director to have is leadership skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "public relations and fundraising managers often lead large teams of specialists or fundraisers and must be able to guide their activities." Public relations and communications directors often use leadership skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "determined editorial calendar for magazine and contributed content, including opinion pieces for senior leadership. "
Problem-solving skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling public relations and communications director duties is problem-solving skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "managers sometimes must explain how the company or client is handling sensitive issues." According to a public relations and communications director resume, here's how public relations and communications directors can utilize problem-solving skills in their job responsibilities: "increased brand awareness for the company and boosted sales for the web-based solutions by 17%. "
Speaking skills. public relations and communications directors are also known for speaking skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to public relations and communications director responsibilities, because "public relations and fundraising managers regularly speak on behalf of their organization." A public relations and communications director resume example shows how speaking skills is used in the workplace: "conducted daily press conferences, lived interviews, appeared on television news and spoke on radio broadcast. "
Writing skills. A big part of what public relations and communications directors do relies on "writing skills." You can see how essential it is to public relations and communications director responsibilities because "managers must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases and speeches." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical public relations and communications director tasks: "launched an organization-wide, high-quality and consistent branding of all media and materials through graphic design, photography and writing. "
Communication skills. Another common skill required for public relations and communications director responsibilities is "communication skills." This skill comes up in the duties of public relations and communications directors all the time, as "managers deal with the public regularly; therefore, they must be friendly enough to build a rapport with, and receive cooperation from, their media contacts and donors." An excerpt from a real public relations and communications director resume shows how this skill is central to what a public relations and communications director does: "experience in the development of communications and community relationships in support of association membership services. "
Organizational skills. Another skill commonly found on public relations and communications director job descriptions is "organizational skills." It can come up quite often in public relations and communications director duties, since "public relations and fundraising managers are often in charge of running several events at the same time, requiring superior organizational skills." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day public relations and communications director responsibilities: "organized all media relations, press release and organizational presentations to coordinate photo shoots and statewide promotion events. "
The three companies that hire the most public relations and communications directors are:
- TripActions4 public relations and communications directors jobs
- Mythical Store
2 public relations and communications directors jobs
- Amazon1 public relations and communications directors jobs
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Compare different public relations and communications directors
Public relations and communications director vs. Director of public affairs
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.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between public relations and communications directors and director of public affairs. For instance, public relations and communications director responsibilities require skills such as "communications plan," "corporate communications," "brand awareness," and "graphic design." Whereas a director of public affairs is skilled in "government affairs," "public policy," "external stakeholders," and "policy issues." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Directors of public affairs really shine in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $137,872. Comparatively, public relations and communications directors tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $153,738.On average, directors of public affairs reach similar levels of education than public relations and communications directors. Directors of public affairs are 2.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 4.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Public relations and communications director vs. Director, customer relations
Director of Customer Relations is responsible for leading the design and improvement of an organization's overall customer service experience. Their duties include developing customer service budget, driving customer service process improvements, implementing customer service agents, managing email and telephony customer service routing, and creating training programs for customer service staff. They are responsible for improving customer service performance metrics, overseeing key change management projects, and establishing a customer service roadmap. The Director of customer relations also helps in developing recruitment initiatives to attract top talents.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that public relations and communications director responsibilities requires skills like "crisis communications," "external communications," "strategic communications," and "communications plan." But a director, customer relations might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer relations," "leveraged," "government relations," and "payroll."
Directors, customer relations may earn a higher salary than public relations and communications directors, but directors, customer relations earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $124,365. On the other hand, public relations and communications directors receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $153,738.In general, directors, customer relations achieve lower levels of education than public relations and communications directors. They're 5.8% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 4.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for public relations and communications directors in the next 3-5 years?
Clarke Caywood
Professor (founder group of IMC and PR in Medill) Joint Doctorate in Business and Journalism - Univ. Wis. Madison, Northwestern University
Public relations and communications director vs. Director of client relations
A director of client relations is responsible for maintaining healthy business partnerships with clients, offering the company's quality services to boost brand awareness for the target audience on various market platforms. Directors of client relations identify the clients' needs, as well as their long-term goals, to strategize business techniques and project management procedures that would help the clients reach their maximum objectives. They also handle budget allocation for different teams, ensuring that each department receives adequate resources for operations.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, public relations and communications directors are more likely to have skills like "crisis communications," "external communications," "community relations," and "strategic communications." But a director of client relations is more likely to have skills like "project management," "client issues," "healthcare," and "account management."
Directors of client relations earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $112,276. Comparatively, public relations and communications directors have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $153,738.When it comes to education, directors of client relations tend to earn similar degree levels compared to public relations and communications directors. In fact, they're 3.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Public relations and communications director vs. Media director
A media director spearheads and oversees a company's entire media-related activities, including marketing and advertising campaigns. They are in charge of setting goals and guidelines, liaising and building positive relationships with external parties, conceptualizing plans for projects and campaigns, and developing strategies to optimize operations. It is also their duty to address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a media director, it is essential to monitor the progress of different teams, leading and encouraging them to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Types of public relations and communications director
Updated January 8, 2025
