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Public relations supervisor vs director of public affairs

The differences between public relations supervisors and directors of public affairs 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 director of public affairs. Additionally, a director of public affairs has an average salary of $114,639, 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 director of public affairs are government affairs, public policy, and external stakeholders.

Public relations supervisor vs director of public affairs overview

Public Relations SupervisorDirector Of Public Affairs
Yearly salary$75,368$114,639
Hourly rate$36.23$55.11
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs25,09726,290
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

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 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.

Public relations supervisor vs director of public affairs salary

Public relations supervisors and directors of public affairs have different pay scales, as shown below.

Public Relations SupervisorDirector Of Public Affairs
Average salary$75,368$114,639
Salary rangeBetween $54,000 And $104,000Between $70,000 And $187,000
Highest paying City-Las Vegas, NV
Highest paying state-Nevada
Best paying company-Kaiser Permanente
Best paying industry-Pharmaceutical

Differences between public relations supervisor and director of public affairs education

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

Public Relations SupervisorDirector Of Public Affairs
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorBusinessPolitical Science
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Public relations supervisor vs director of public affairs demographics

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

Public Relations SupervisorDirector Of Public Affairs
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 41.0% Female, 59.0%Male, 57.6% Female, 42.4%
Race ratioBlack 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, 8.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between public relations supervisor and director of public affairs 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.

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

Public relations supervisor vs director of public affairs 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 director of public affairs skills
  • Government Affairs, 12%
  • Public Policy, 11%
  • External Stakeholders, 7%
  • Policy Issues, 6%
  • Government Relations, 5%
  • Press Releases, 4%

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