What does a senior public relations manager do?
A senior public relations manager is responsible for supervising the overall media presence and brand awareness of a company within various communication platforms. Senior public relations managers coordinate with the marketing team to promote the brand image on social platforms and reach the target audience by creating engaging content and digital assets. They also identify brand endorsers, such as models and celebrities, if the budget permits, to grow more customers and meet the public demands. A senior public relations manager monitors the sales performance and transactions within the company and adjusts PR plans as needed.
Senior public relations manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior public relations manager resumes:
- Interview featured alumni, manage copywriting staff and editorial calendar, and coordinate photography.
- Direct internal communications tactics including newsletters, Intranet, domestic and international executive meetings, and special events.
- Direct strategic planning and execution for entertainment partnership platform to include B2C communications and marketing.
Senior public relations manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Senior Public Relations Managers are proficient in Press Releases, Marketing Campaigns, and Content Development. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Senior Public Relations Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Press Releases, 20%
Drafted and distributed all press releases along with any and all other external corporate communications documents.
- Marketing Campaigns, 9%
Worked with agency teams to develop integrated marketing campaigns.
- Content Development, 8%
Managed research program in support of company's content development and media relations efforts.
- Media Buying, 5%
Worked with various event promoters to assist in media buying, promotions and marketing.
- External Communications, 4%
Engineered all aspects of external communications for merger of two publicly traded companies resulting in positive worldwide media coverage.
- Pr Campaigns, 4%
Directed PR campaigns, including product launches, partnerships, international media events and sponsorships.
Common skills that a senior public relations manager uses to do their job include "press releases," "marketing campaigns," and "content development." You can find details on the most important senior public relations manager responsibilities below.
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a senior public relations manager to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what senior public relations managers do because "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." Additionally, a senior public relations manager resume shows how senior public relations managers use communication skills: "developed social media strategy for corporate communications, creating and managing youtube, twitter and facebook accounts. "
Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling senior public relations manager duties is leadership skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "public relations and fundraising managers often lead large teams of specialists or fundraisers and must be able to guide their activities." According to a senior public relations manager resume, here's how senior public relations managers can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "establish press conferences and thought-leadership forums. "
Organizational skills. This is an important skill for senior public relations managers to perform their duties. For an example of how senior public relations manager responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "public relations and fundraising managers are often in charge of running several events at the same time, requiring superior organizational skills." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a senior public relations manager: "prepared and edited organizational publications for internal and external audiences, including employee newsletters. ".
Problem-solving skills. For certain senior public relations manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of a senior public relations manager rely on this skill, as "managers sometimes must explain how the company or client is handling sensitive issues." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what senior public relations managers do: "contributed research, ideas, and solutions for all crisis management cases. "
Speaking skills. Another crucial skill for a senior public relations manager to carry out their responsibilities is "speaking skills." A big part of what senior public relations managers relies on this skill, since "public relations and fundraising managers regularly speak on behalf of their organization." How this skill relates to senior public relations manager duties can be seen in an example from a senior public relations manager resume snippet: "conducted executive communications programs, including speaking opportunities. "
Writing skills. While "writing skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to senior public relations manager responsibilities. Much of what a senior public relations manager does relies on this skill, seeing as "managers must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases and speeches." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of senior public relations managers: "spearheaded grant writing duties on behalf of clients - ensuring that funds were available to help with community relations/affairs goals. "
The three companies that hire the most senior public relations managers are:
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Compare different senior public relations managers
Senior public relations manager vs. Manager of corporate communications
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.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between senior public relations managers and manager of corporate communications. For instance, senior public relations manager responsibilities require skills such as "media buying," "communications strategy," "digital marketing," and "spokesperson." Whereas a manager of corporate communications is skilled in "project management," "strategic communications," "employee engagement," and "powerpoint." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Managers of corporate communications earn the highest salaries when working in the manufacturing industry, with an average yearly salary of $104,720. On the other hand, senior public relations managers are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $119,807.On average, managers of corporate communications reach similar levels of education than senior public relations managers. Managers of corporate communications are 1.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior public relations manager vs. Campaign manager
Campaign managers are responsible for developing, executing, and managing marketing campaigns for events, products, and services targeting consumers or organizations. These professionals typically collaborate with external agencies in the preparation and execution of campaigns. They perform other duties that may include managing the measurement and tracking of marketing campaigns, writing, proofreading, and editing copy for promotional materials, and maintaining regular measurement of the campaigns' ROI. Campaign managers are also expected to evaluate existing marketing campaigns and be up-to-date on the latest marketing trends.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, senior public relations manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "content development," "external communications," "communications strategy," and "corporate communications." Meanwhile, a campaign manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "email campaigns," "powerpoint," "campaign management," and "strategic plan." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Campaign managers earn a lower average salary than senior public relations managers. But campaign managers earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $86,390. Additionally, senior public relations managers earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $119,807 annually.In general, campaign managers achieve similar levels of education than senior public relations managers. They're 2.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior public relations managers in the next 3-5 years?
Jessica Koth
Director of Public Relations, NFDA - National Funeral Directors Association
Funeral webcasting (or live streaming as it is sometimes called) - that is, the ability to broadcast a funeral online, enabling family and friends from around the globe to participate in service, when they cannot attend in person - has been around for several years. However, during the pandemic, families needed a way to gather to honor their loved ones when they could not do so because of restrictions on public gatherings. Webcasting offered a safe, yet meaningful, alternative to in-person attendance. About 15% of our members were contributing to webcasts before the pandemic. But, nearly 50% have started offering to do webcasts since the onset of the epidemic; another 21% are adding webcasting to their service offerings.
Senior public relations manager vs. Communications lead
The global senior program manager acts as a coordinator for the organization's projects and performs various tasks including supervision, account management, daily staff assignments, budget planning, cost control, and tracking program expenses by collaborating with various global departments to enhance all global programs. He/she should have excellent analytical, decision-making, leadership, and organization skills and knowledge about project management to be able to oversee and organize activities to ensure its compliance with the organization's goals.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, senior public relations managers are more likely to have skills like "content development," "media buying," "pr campaigns," and "communications strategy." But a communications lead is more likely to have skills like "project management," "strategic communications," "hr," and "customer service."
Communications leads earn the best pay in the internet industry, where they command an average salary of $125,151. Senior public relations managers earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $119,807.When it comes to education, communications leads tend to earn similar degree levels compared to senior public relations managers. In fact, they're 0.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior public relations manager 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.
Types of senior public relations manager
Updated January 8, 2025
