The following article discusses the career path of Communications Officer. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of Communications Officers.
Job Duties
Communications officers hold responsibility for the establishment and facilitation of both external and internal communication. Their goal is to create a positive brand image for the organization. They do this in a variety of different ways, including ensuring all company information, such as memos and newsletters, are disseminated properly. Furthermore, they often focus on writing public statements, maintaining a media contacts list, writing and monitoring website content, and public relations in general.
The role of communications officers is varied. They prepare public relations materials like brochures, work with media contacts, and conduct press conferences. In everything that they do, their aim is to make sure both internal and external parties are informed of the progress within the organization itself. They can take on this position in a huge variety of organizations, including large corporations, charities, research facilities, schools, and government organizations.
Other job duties communications officers of are:
- To manage all communications, including telephone, radio, and other forms of media
- To ensure all communication information is properly entered in the company’s database
- To keep all information up to date
- To put measures in place to improve corporate image and reputation
Where We Work
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 31,300 advertising, promotions, and marketing managers in 2016, and the communications officer is part of this professional group. The largest employers of these professionals were:
- Advertising, public relations, and related services: 34%
- Information: 12%
- Management of companies and enterprises: 7%
- Wholesale trade: 6%
- Retail trade: 6%
How to Become
Usually, a bachelor’s degree in a field such as journalism or communication is required for this position.
Education Requirements
A communications officer is generally required to have a bachelor’s degree as a minimum. Usually, they have a major in areas such as marketing, communication, journalism, psychology, or advertising. Those who have taken classes in photography, art history, visual arts, communication technology and methods, sales, market research, consumer behavior, and marketing are in the highest demand.
Additionally, it is often advisable to have completed courses in areas such as statistics, mathematics, computer science, finance, economics, management, and business law. This is because these courses will enable a communications officer to best understand methods of driving traffic through communication online, an integral part of modern forms of communication.
Experience is also very important. Most communications officers have undergone an internship as part of their degree. They will then have taken up an entry level position, through which they can grow to the coordinator position.
Traits & Qualities
The most effective communications officers have the following traits to some degree or other:
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with an ability to adapt language to suit the audience
- Being able to convince others to take certain actions
- Computer skills
Minimum Education
Bachelor’s Degree
The national average salary estimate for Communications Officer was $45,494. This number is estimated from over 149,724 employees, users past and present job advertisements from Indeed.com. This equates to an hourly salary of $23.69 and monthly of $3,791.
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$14,000
$121,000
The following section lists Communications Officer salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, DC had the largest quoted salary of $73,378 while Tennessee had the smallest quoted salary of $21,331.
According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Communications Officer. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.
| Employer Name | Location | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Georgia | $140,366 |
| Integrated Strategic Communications Boutique | Maryland | $119,339 |
| University of California Berkeley | California | $89,280 |
| National Security Agency | Maryland | $88,904 |
| V-1 Analytical Solutions | Virginia | $88,000 |
| CITY OF LOS ALTOS | California | $87,831 |
| Orange County Transportation Authority | California | $83,822 |
| City of Menlo Park | California | $79,862 |
| Maricopa County | Arizona | $79,293 |
| The University of California | California | $74,443 |
| Infinite Resources, Inc. | DC | $70,000 |
| The Washington Market School | New York | $69,822 |
| Maricopa County, AZ | Arizona | $69,253 |
| U.S. Marine Corps | North Carolina | $65,334 |
| University of California, Irvine | California | $63,579 |
| U.S. Army | Texas | $60,303 |
| University of California-Riverside | California | $60,132 |
| U.S. Navy | California | $55,794 |
| Richmond, VA | Virginia | $53,171 |
| University of Kentucky | Kentucky | $51,228 |
Learn More
- Chief communications officer – Wikipedia
- Advertising Degree Online
- Salary Outlook with a Public Relations Degree
- Best Public Relations Degree
- Salary Outlook with a Marketing Degree
- Best Online Marketing Management Degree
- Office of the Chief Communications Officer | USPTO
| Career Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Public Relations Manager | $51,303 |
| Procurement Specialist | $51,075 |
| Social Media Manager | $50,861 |
| Marketing Executive | $49,187 |
| Research Associate | $46,919 |
| Communication Specialist | $43,213 |
| Communications Coordinator | $42,597 |
| Marketing Coordinator | $42,195 |
| Program Coordinator | $41,738 |
| Human Resources Coordinator | $35,481 |
