Public relations supervisor vs communications director

The differences between public relations supervisors and communications 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 public relations supervisor and a communications director. Additionally, a communications director has an average salary of $107,700, which is higher than the $75,368 average annual salary of a public relations supervisor.

The top three skills for a public relations supervisor include press releases, account management and integrated marketing. The most important skills for a communications director are web content, press releases, and customer service.

Public relations supervisor vs communications director overview

	Public Relations Supervisor	Communications Director
Yearly salary	$75,368	$107,700
Hourly rate	$36.23	$51.78
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	25,097	27,939
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does a public relations supervisor do?

Public or patient relations representatives are professionals who act as an intermediary between hospitals and the families of their patients. These representatives are required to provide excellent service to patients and their families by responding to their questions, filling out paperwork, and providing information. They are required to handle all communications and complaints as well as relay concerns to the appropriate channels. Public relations representatives must also conduct satisfaction surveys so that they can improve the loyalty and service recognition of the company.

What does a communications director do?

A communications director is responsible for monitoring and supervising the overall media relations from internal to external communications. A communications director's duties include managing campaigns, providing organizational updates to the employees, supporting social media marketing, developing effective communication strategies to build the organization's reputation, and efficiently leading team members in handling events that represent the business. Communications directors must have strong leadership and communication skills to provide support for the company's daily operations and strategies.

Public relations supervisor vs communications director salary

Public relations supervisors and communications directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Public Relations Supervisor	Communications Director
Average salary	$75,368	$107,700
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $104,000	Between $61,000 And $188,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Nevada
Best paying company	-	McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between public relations supervisor and communications director education

There are a few differences between a public relations supervisor and a communications director in terms of educational background:

	Public Relations Supervisor	Communications Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Business	Communication
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Public relations supervisor vs communications director demographics

Here are the differences between public relations supervisors' and communications directors' demographics:

	Public Relations Supervisor	Communications Director
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0%	Male, 40.2% Female, 59.8%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between public relations supervisor and communications director duties and responsibilities

Public relations supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage public affairs and media efforts including writing and placing op-eds and mobilizing editorial campaigns.
Administer corporate oversight of customer expectations and appropriate services to ensure alignment between customer practices and core customer service values.
Direct strategic planning and execution for entertainment partnership platform to include B2C communications and marketing.

Communications director example responsibilities.

Assist in managing the Facebook and Instagram pages.
Develop and manage c-level strategic client relationships to grow revenue base.
Create and manage corporate website, online demand gen through SEO and SEM.
Manage editorial content of the organization website, build and upload web pages via HTML.
Manage the marketing strategy and budget, including B2C acquisition campaigns focuse on out of home and DRTV.
Manage media relations, announcements, editorial placement, and speaking opportunities the organizations.

Public relations supervisor vs communications director skills

Common public relations supervisor skills

Press Releases, 10%
Account Management, 8%
Integrated Marketing, 6%
Direct Reports, 5%
Guest Service, 4%
Client Relations, 4%

Common communications director skills

Web Content, 8%
Press Releases, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
External Communications, 5%
Project Management, 4%
Employee Engagement, 4%

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Public Relations Supervisor
Public Relations Supervisor vs Communications Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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