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The differences between vice presidents, corporate communications 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 vice president, corporate communications and a communications director. Additionally, a communications director has an average salary of $107,700, which is higher than the $83,101 average annual salary of a vice president, corporate communications.
The top three skills for a vice president, corporate communications include crisis communications, press releases and external communications. The most important skills for a communications director are web content, press releases, and customer service.
| Vice President, Corporate Communications | Communications Director | |
| Yearly salary | $83,101 | $107,700 |
| Hourly rate | $39.95 | $51.78 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 55,845 | 27,939 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A vice president of corporate communications is an executive professional who is responsible for developing and executing communications goals and strategies for an organization. This vice president must manage advertising campaigns to improve the organization's brand awareness and ensure that consistent messaging is delivered across all platforms. The vice president must lead cross-functional and divisional teams to develop crisis communications processes to manage company reputation among customers, media, and elected officials. The vice president must also serve as the primary contact for all external communications with media and non-profit organizations.
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.
Vice presidents, corporate communications and communications directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Vice President, Corporate Communications | Communications Director | |
| Average salary | $83,101 | $107,700 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $124,000 | Between $61,000 And $188,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a vice president, corporate communications and a communications director in terms of educational background:
| Vice President, Corporate Communications | Communications Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Journalism | Communication |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between vice presidents, corporate communications' and communications directors' demographics:
| Vice President, Corporate Communications | Communications Director | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6% | Male, 40.2% Female, 59.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |