What does a Civil Affairs Specialist do?
Civil affairs specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real civil affairs specialist resumes:
- Brief leadership on current world affairs, operations and potential strategies in accomplishing critical organizational goals.
- Identify critical requirements need by local citizens in combat or crisis situations.
- Conduct research on EEO case law.
- Develop and maintain relationships with local officials, NGOs, and local citizen organizations.
- Provide training to NGOs in the areas of communication, proposal development, civic and voter education, and fund-raising.
- Create PowerPoint presentations for classify briefings
- Coordinate EEO investigations and review investigative reports for accuracy and detail.
- Key tasks include interacting with local civil government and populace during/after combat operations and/or natural disaster.
- Coordinate between the local national leadership and private civilian and defense contractors to ensure success when executing construction operations.
- Collaborate with teachers, administration and technology support to troubleshoot ongoing problems and foster a highly productive and efficient learning environment.
- Encourage promotion for highly qualify sailors by writing honorable award certificates.
Civil affairs specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Civil Affairs Specialists are proficient in Combat, Assistance Organizations, and Emergency Assistance. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Civil Affairs Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Combat, 18%
Maintained and operated military weapons, vehicles and communication equipment in over 200 combat patrol/ security missions.
- Assistance Organizations, 16%
Foster and maintain dialogue with civilian aid agencies and civilian relief and assistance organizations.
- Emergency Assistance, 14%
Supported national disaster, defense and emergency assistance activities.
- Local Citizens, 6%
Facilitate assistance to local citizens by coordinating with both military and non-governmental organizations to distribute aid and supplies.
- Regional Emergencies, 4%
Provided liaison and coordinator services to civilian agencies and joint military personnel for improved procedures to national or regional emergencies.
- Title VI, 4%
Performed compliance audits and manual reviews for the seven civil rights programs (Title VI, EEO, etc.)
"combat," "assistance organizations," and "emergency assistance" are among the most common skills that civil affairs specialists use at work. You can find even more civil affairs specialist responsibilities below, including:
Interpersonal skills. One of the key soft skills for a civil affairs specialist to have is interpersonal skills. You can see how this relates to what civil affairs specialists do because "public relations specialists deal with the public and the media regularly." Additionally, a civil affairs specialist resume shows how civil affairs specialists use interpersonal skills: "coordinated interpersonal communication and cover community relations and outreach events, including interviews. "
Organizational skills. Many civil affairs specialist duties rely on organizational skills. "public relations specialists are often in charge of managing several events or communications at the same time, which requires excellent skills in coordinating arrangements.," so a civil affairs specialist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways civil affairs specialist responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "briefed leadership on current world affairs, operations and potential strategies in accomplishing critical organizational goals. "
Problem-solving skills. civil affairs specialists are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to civil affairs specialist responsibilities, because "public relations specialists sometimes must explain how a company or client is handling sensitive issues." A civil affairs specialist resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "resolved logistical disputes amongst united states army, international organizations and local agencies. "
Speaking skills. civil affairs specialist responsibilities often require "speaking skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "public relations specialists regularly speak on behalf of clients or their organization." This resume example shows what civil affairs specialists do with speaking skills on a typical day: "conducted project assessments and contributed report material presented at regional command level during operation enduring freedom - horn of africa. "
Writing skills. Another crucial skill for a civil affairs specialist to carry out their responsibilities is "writing skills." A big part of what civil affairs specialists relies on this skill, since "public relations specialists must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases, speeches, and social media posts." How this skill relates to civil affairs specialist duties can be seen in an example from a civil affairs specialist resume snippet: "document base activities via photography and writing news stories. "
The three companies that hire the most civil affairs specialists are:
- HDR14 civil affairs specialists jobs
- Boston Scientific1 civil affairs specialists jobs
- RadianceTechnologies1 civil affairs specialists jobs
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Compare different civil affairs specialists
Civil affairs specialist vs. Government relations internship
A government relations internship involves a trainee who assists the vice president of government relations in managing and analyzing policy issues. Government relations interns are required to compile and summarize material on emerging and existing public policy for staff members. They assist with external stakeholder engagement strategy and draft press releases on pertinent legislative and regulatory issues. Government relations interns must also attend congressional hearings and produce reports to corporations and trade associations covering wide a wide array of policy areas.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between civil affairs specialists and government relations internship. For instance, civil affairs specialist responsibilities require skills such as "combat," "assistance organizations," "emergency assistance," and "conducts research." Whereas a government relations internship is skilled in "internship program," "public policy," "donor database," and "government affairs." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Government relations interns really shine in the media industry with an average salary of $36,341. Comparatively, civil affairs specialists tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $74,021.The education levels that government relations interns earn slightly differ from civil affairs specialists. In particular, government relations interns are 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a civil affairs specialist. Additionally, they're 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Civil affairs specialist vs. Public relations
Public relations is a strategic way of developing and maintaining a client's or company's public image through media coverage, appearances, and press releases by designing and developing events to raise funds or to spread awareness to the public regarding products, brands, or individuals. It involves research and evaluation of programs including financial, marketing, employee, or government relations using topics of public interest and news items. Due to our present technological innovations, public relations now use webinars, blogs, and downloadable resources under one convenient website.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real civil affairs specialist resumes. While civil affairs specialist responsibilities can utilize skills like "combat," "assistance organizations," "emergency assistance," and "conducts research," public relations use skills like "press releases," "web content," "facebook," and "event planning."
Public relations may earn a lower salary than civil affairs specialists, but public relations earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $56,027. On the other hand, civil affairs specialists receive higher pay in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $74,021.In general, public relations achieve similar levels of education than civil affairs specialists. They're 0.7% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Civil affairs specialist vs. Account coordinator
An account coordinator assists account executives by providing day-to-day administrative support such as preparing and filing sales contracts and reports. As coordinators, they must maintain a good relationship with their clients and vendors by addressing issues and with regular communication. Account coordinators must possess essential skills such as a strong business administration background, adept at both written and verbal communication, and excellent time management. They are also responsible for researching prospective clients and produce client feedbacks to their account management teams.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a civil affairs specialist is likely to be skilled in "combat," "assistance organizations," "emergency assistance," and "conducts research," while a typical account coordinator is skilled in "customer service," "data entry," "account management," and "project management."
Account coordinators make a very good living in the professional industry with an average annual salary of $46,894. On the other hand, civil affairs specialists are paid the highest salary in the manufacturing industry, with average annual pay of $74,021.account coordinators typically earn similar educational levels compared to civil affairs specialists. Specifically, they're 3.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Civil affairs specialist vs. Public relations internship
A public relations intern is responsible for assisting the public relations department in creating content to engage customers and prospective clients in availing of the goods and services of the company. Public relations interns participate in meetings to suggest strategies and observe areas of improvement. They also perform administrative duties as needed, post social media updates, review press releases, and research market trends. A public relations intern must be detail-oriented and communicative to assist customers with their concerns and inquiries.
Types of civil affairs specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
