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Compliance Managers

Compliance Managers: Career Profile

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization to ensure compliance with ethical or regulatory standards.

The Daily Work of Compliance Managers Do?

Typical responsibilities of compliance managers cover:

  • Report violations of compliance or regulatory standards to duly authorized enforcement agencies as appropriate or required.
  • Identify compliance issues that require follow-up or investigation.
  • Discuss emerging compliance issues to ensure that management and employees are informed about compliance reporting systems, policies, and practices.
  • File appropriate compliance reports with regulatory agencies.
  • Maintain documentation of compliance activities, such as complaints received or investigation outcomes.
  • Consult with corporate attorneys as necessary to address difficult legal compliance issues.
  • Conduct or direct the internal investigation of compliance issues.
  • Provide employee training on compliance related topics, policies, or procedures.

Skills and Knowledge

Effective compliance managers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Top Skills

The abilities most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Critical Thinking  4.0 / 5
0
5
Reading Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Writing  3.9 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  3.9 / 5
0
5
Speaking  3.9 / 5
0
5
Active Learning  3.8 / 5
0
5

Top Knowledge Areas

Law and Government  4.6 / 5
0
5
English Language  4.5 / 5
0
5
Administration and Management  4.1 / 5
0
5
Customer and Personal Service  3.7 / 5
0
5
Personnel and Human Resources  3.7 / 5
0
5
Computers and Electronics  3.6 / 5
0
5

Types of Compliance Managers Jobs

People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:

  • Accreditation Lieutenant
  • Accreditation Manager
  • Anti Money Laundering Compliance Manager (AML Compliance Manager)
  • Audit Manager
  • Compliance Audit Manager
  • Compliance Coordinator
  • Compliance Director
  • Compliance Manager

Employment and Demand

There are roughly 274,622 compliance managers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +13.0% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Compliance Managers

How Much Do Compliance Managers Make?

Statistic Value
Annual median $117,178
Hourly median $56.34
10th percentile $65,422
25th percentile $91,300
75th percentile $143,056
90th percentile $168,934

Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Compliance Managers

Pay by State

State Annual median salary
Massachusetts $172,380
District of Columbia $171,910
California $170,740
Delaware $170,310
Washington $165,080
Colorado $164,010
New Jersey $163,630
Virginia $162,610
New York $161,360
Minnesota $158,680
Connecticut $149,690
Maryland $148,680
Rhode Island $147,240
New Hampshire $142,650
Illinois $134,810
Texas $133,070
Michigan $133,040
Arizona $132,040
North Carolina $131,990
Pennsylvania $129,170
Iowa $127,680
New Mexico $127,060
Ohio $126,600
West Virginia $126,250
Oklahoma $124,800
Oregon $124,190
Maine $123,950
Vermont $123,930
Alaska $123,160
Kentucky $123,010
Hawaii $122,520
Georgia $120,810
South Carolina $120,640
Kansas $118,310
North Dakota $118,010
Wyoming $117,060
Missouri $117,050
Alabama $116,830
Nebraska $114,050
South Dakota $111,630
Idaho $107,800
Montana $105,840
Wisconsin $105,690
Florida $102,670
Louisiana $100,890
Nevada $99,590
Mississippi $97,780
Guam $97,210
Virgin Islands $92,270
Tennessee $88,110
Arkansas $84,610
Indiana $79,080
Puerto Rico $78,740

Top-Paying U.S. Regions

Compensation for compliance managers vary by region. Top regions by median wage:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
Far Western US $160,982 22.6% 1.34
New England $156,233 3.9% 0.83
Middle Atlantic $153,807 17.6% 2.07
Southwest $132,453 11.2% 0.90
Plains States $126,095 4.1% 0.64
Southeast $116,490 29.4% 1.35
Rocky Mountains $112,945 3.8% 1.01
Great Lakes $112,898 6.4% 0.72

Where the Jobs Cluster

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA CA $215,120 13,530
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA CA $203,030 22,980
Lewiston-Auburn, ME ME $190,070 100
Kennewick-Richland, WA WA $175,070 400
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH MA $174,840 9,240
Boulder, CO CO $173,490 1,080
Binghamton, NY NY $171,190 190
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA WA $168,750 7,580

Top Industries Employing Compliance Managers

The largest employers of compliance managers work in these industries:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 94,490 $164,060
Management of Companies and Enterprises 50,980 $163,830
Manufacturing 46,390 $160,640
Finance and Insurance 44,890 $162,780
Information 38,680 $167,740
Educational Services 32,840 $102,450
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 32,500 $109,990
Health Care and Social Assistance 31,360 $108,810
Compliance Managers sectors

Below are examples of industries where compliance managers work:

Compliance Managers industries

Tech Stack

  • Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
  • Internet browser software: Apple Safari (hot technology)
  • Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
  • Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
  • Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
  • Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
  • Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
  • Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
  • Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
  • Process mapping and design software: Microsoft Visio (hot technology)
  • Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
  • Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)

Work Environment

The on-the-job environment of compliance managers tends to involve the following characteristics:

  • E-Mail
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
  • Telephone Conversations
  • Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled

Education and Training

Entry-level compliance managers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

Where to Study

Future compliance managers often complete programs in:

Social Sciences

40 programs across 14 majors

Psychology

28 programs across 4 majors

15 programs across 5 majors

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

12 programs across 10 majors

9 programs across 4 majors

History

9 programs across 1 majors

About the Data

Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
  • BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
  • O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 11-9199.02 (Managers, All Other).

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