Introduction 

We rely on people in compliance careers to steer businesses in the right direction by ensuring that they behave lawfully, according to regulations, and to ethical standards. To become a compliance officers is to take on risk mitigation, policy development, auditing, and ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. 

There’s a reason organisations employ compliance officers in the finance, healthcare, technology, and environmental industries. These employees protect their organisation from government penalties, financial repercussions, and reputation issues—and, as a result, have become irreplaceable in today’s regulatory world.

What Are the Main Types of Compliance Officers?

Corporate Compliance Officers

Role and Key Responsibilities:

Corporate compliance officers make sure that a company’s policies and procedures comply with legal requirements as well as internal standards. Their primary responsibility is to create and carry out compliance programs to prevent illegal, unethical, or improper conduct by the company, its employees, officers, or directors.

The compliance officer will have a regular audit or assessment program to identify risks to compliance. This means that the officer will look at the business operations and activity to see if there is anything that is not in compliance with relevant laws or regulations.

For instance, by training and educating staff on compliance issues, they develop training materials and training programs so that staff understand and follow compliance policies.

The investigation and resolution of compliance issues is another major duty. Corporate compliance officers field complaints and undertake investigations to remediate or mitigate compliance violations.

They describe, document, and report on compliance actions and keep senior management and regulators informed. This record-keeping keeps everyone on their toes. 

Regulatory Compliance Officers

Role and Key Responsibilities:

The compliance officer deals with regulatory compliance (ensuring that an organisation complies with some external regulation or standard) and seeks to monitor changes in laws and regulations that apply to the organisation’s industry and advise it of those changes.

They develop regulatory compliance policies and procedures. This typically means designing frameworks to be suitable for the required regulatory compliance and then implementing them.

As a manager of operational risk, you should also have in place formal processes to conduct compliance audits regularly to test whether the organisation is still in compliance with varying regulatory standards. Corrective actions should be recommended for non-compliant areas. 

They are also responsible for training staff in the requirements of regulations, such as determining and organising training programs and workshops to educate employees about their duty of compliance.

When such compliance problems occur, regulatory compliance specialists investigate and rectify them, working alongside other departments to reach compliance with relevant regulations.

The regulatory compliance officers also prepare and submit compliance reports to regulatory organisations, thereby demonstrating regulatory compliance by the organisation of the company and thereby avoiding punishment by the legal body. 

IT Compliance Officers

Role and Key Responsibilities: 

IT compliance officers monitor the conformity of an organisation’s IT systems and processes with internal policy and external regulation, concentrating on such areas as data protection, cybersecurity, IT governance, and so forth.

They create and execute IT compliance programs that serve as a protective overseer of all the information assets in the organisation, setting policies and procedures to safeguard the integrity of data.

Another responsibility is performing IT audits and assessments regularly. IT compliance officers continually review an organisation’s IT infrastructure to discover vulnerabilities and ensure that the organisation’s infrastructure is compliant with standards.

To ensure that staff are trained regarding IT compliance issues, they design training materials used to conduct training for employees on various IT compliance topics, including employees’ cybersecurity best practices and data protection requirements. 

IT compliance officers investigate and resolve those IT compliance issues that arise. They deal with breaches of security and other incidents, ensuring that appropriate corrective action is taken and that any recurrence is avoided.

They record and report IT compliance activities (there’s no point in writing a report without recording the effort that is being expended to comply with the ‘x number of hours’ requirement, but at the same time, complying with IT regulations without considering the cost is also a big no-no) to senior management as well as to regulatory bodies, who have to report the work to their bosses, next in line of command. This creates a great sense of transparency and infuses a culture of commitment and seriousness about IT compliance. 

Environmental Compliance Officers 

Role and Key Responsibilities:

An environmental compliance officer ensures that an organisation abides by environmental laws and regulations. His attention is on minimising the environmental impact of the operation of the organisation.

They develop and implement environmental compliance programs that are appropriate to the relevant environmental laws and regulations. These programs include policies and procedures that reduce pollution and waste.

One of the principal duties is to conduct environmental audits periodically. Environmental compliance officers check whether an organisation is complying with environmental regulations and see that these rules are followed.

Training staff on environmental compliance issues. They train the staff to implement environmental compulsions such as building practices to improve compliance efficiency and enhance training programs and training materials to help job employees comprehend rules and regulations, methods, and capabilities.

The investigation and resolution of environmental compliance issues is another key responsibility of theirs. Environmental compliance officers respond to incidents and investigate to address and correct violations.

They monitor, record, and report on environmental compliance activities while keeping senior management and regulatory authorities duly apprised of their findings.

What Does a Compliance Officer Do?

Developing and Implementing Compliance Programs 

An organisation’s compliance program, encompassing policies and procedures developed and implemented by compliance officers, is designed to prevent, detect, and remedy violations of laws and regulations.

They are embedded in business operations alongside other departments to ensure compliance.

These programs are updated regularly by compliance officers to ensure that they remain consistent with changes in the law and relevant regulations. The organisation also conducts an evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of its compliance program and reviews and revises it as needed after it is enacted.

Conducting Compliance Audits and Assessments

Compliance audits and assessments represent a critical responsibility of compliance officers who review company operations and practices to identify possible compliance risks and instances of non-compliance.

Such checks involve verifying accounting records, business procedures, and other relevant documents to ensure they comply with regulatory standards. Compliance officers’ work is to see that all workflows of the company or other entity being monitored meet regulatory requirements.

From these audits, they produce recommendations for improving compliance and follow-up actions. The organisation then uses these recommendations to correct deficiencies, thereby improving its compliance performance.

Ensuring Adherence to Regulatory Requirements 

These so-called compliance officers ensure that the organisation complies with all relevant laws and regulations. This entails monitoring changes to laws and regulations that impact the organisation and advising accordingly.

They set up and enforce the policies and procedures that ensure regulatory compliance. They establish the rule books, built in compliance with the latest updates to regulatory requirements and regulations.

The organisation monitors its compliance with these requirements using criteria set by the compliance officer and takes corrective action when rules are not followed. This proactive approach ensures that any compliance issues are addressed upfront and that companies are continually complying.

Training and Educating Staff on Compliance Issues

The compliance officer has to train and inform staff about the relevant compliance issues. He or she designs compliance training materials and programs and explains the policies related to compliance to the employees.

Compliance officers give training regularly to employees about introducing proper compliance standards and requirements. With this training session and workshop, employees will recognize the presence of any potential compliance problems and know their duty.

They also offer an ongoing presence to the company’s employees as a source of answers to questions, resource material and information, and solutions concerning pertinent compliance issues. 

Investigating and Resolving Compliance Issues

If companies need to be persuaded to comply, compliance officers try to convince them; if force is necessary, then the compliance officer will call timeout and call time. If complaints arise, compliance officers investigate and resolve them.

These investigations collect and analyse pertinent information, interview relevant participants, and document conclusions. Compliance officers oversee these investigations to ensure that they are conducted with due diligence and as an objective review of the situation.

They then turn their findings into suggestions and corrections and apply them to help stop future violations and keep the organisation in line.  

Reporting and Documenting Compliance Activities

Compliance officers keep a record of all of the compliance activities in a company and prepare reports that highlight them for senior management and regulators to ensure they are all working to be fully compliant. 

These reports are based on compliance audits, on-site investigations, and other compliance-related work done by the compliance personnel for the organisation. 

Average Compliance Officer Salary

Salary Ranges Based on Experience and Location

How much does a compliance officer earn? The needed skills and qualifications are all transferable, so depending on experience, geographical location, and industry, salaries can vary greatly. An entry-level compliance officer in the UK can earn between £30,000 and £40,000 a year. A compliance officer with a few years of experience can earn between £40,000 and £60,000 a year. Senior compliance officers, including those holding executive positions, can earn between £60,000 and £90,000 a year, or more. 

Location too has a bearing on salaries, with compliance officers based in major cities and financial hubs generally commanding higher remuneration. In cities such as London and New York, employees in this sector can make nearly £70,000 to £100,000 a year, depending on their experience and the role they perform.

Comparison of Salaries in Different Regions

Regionally, compliance officer salaries differ, even within the same country. In countries with higher living costs, such as the United States, the salaries of compliance officers in states such as California, New York, Massachusetts, and other large, expensive states tend to be higher than those in states with lower living standards, like Texas or Florida. In the UK, compliance officers in London and the South East earn more than those in the rest of the country.

We know that compliance officers in urban areas such as Sydney and Melbourne in Australia typically earn more than those in regional areas of the country, with a similar pattern emerging in Canada, where Toronto and Vancouver-based compliance officers earn more than those in smaller towns or rural areas of the country.

Factors Influencing Compliance Officer Salaries

Several factors can influence the salaries of compliance officers:

• Experience: What I liked is that one of the most influential factors in pay is experience. More experienced compliance officers generally tend to earn more in salary than those with less experience due to the advancement of skills and knowledge.
• Education: Some employers place a large premium on educational experience. Just having a degree or certification related to the compliance message can improve earning potential. Examples of a related degree are a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB). Examples of related certifications are the Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) or Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) certifications.
• Industry: The sector that an officer’s company is in also comes into play. For instance, a compliance officer working in financial services or healthcare will likely make more than a compliance officer working in retail or a non-profit organisation.
• Size of the Company: Large companies’ compliance issues are often more complex than those of small companies, and so the potential salary for compliance officers in positions to manage these complexities could be higher. 
• Location: As we discussed above, geographical location is a major factor in accounting salaries since the prices for living and demand for compliance services differ significantly.
• Specialisation: IT compliance, environmental compliance, regulatory compliance—compliance officers working in these areas are often higher paid than their colleagues elsewhere because of the specialist knowledge and skills they can bring to the table. 

Compliance Officer Skills 

Many people tend to focus on the technical skills required of someone who works in this area or who wants to pursue a career as a compliance officer. However, a compliance officer needs a host of other soft skills to run a successful compliance program that will help his or her business follow the law and avoid risks.

Technical Skills

• Knowledge of the Applicable (Industry) Laws and Regulations: Knowledge of the laws and regulations applicable to the company’s industry is indispensable to ensuring that compliance officers can develop and implement compliance programs that help the organisation comply with the law. 
• Risk Assessment and Management: Compliance officers must ‘spot’ compliance risk issues and assess the risks, develop risk management strategies, and ensure that the organisation operates in harmony with the laws and regulations of the territory in which it conducts business. 
• Data Analysis and Reporting: Compliance officers must be skilled at analysing data as well as communicating their processes and problems to other stakeholders. In particular, they must analyse compliance data to uncover trends in compliance and produce reports for both senior management and regulatory agencies.

Soft Skills

• Appreciation for Detail: Compliance officers should have a great eye for detail. They should be able to match the details in the compliance records and documentation issued to confirm the accuracy of the transaction.
• Communication: Compliance officers need good communication skills to convey the compliance requirements and policies to employees and stakeholders through presentations, reports, and speeches.
• Problem-Solving: Compliance officers need to be able to identify and fix compliance problems. Effective problem-solving skills are necessary to investigate compliance violations, find solutions to problems, and remediate compliance failures.
• Ethical Judgement and Decision-Making: The compliance officer should be able to evaluate people’s conduct and decide on the course of action we should take as an organisation. This entails making decisions so that our organisation adheres to the law and abides by the highest standards of business integrity.

Compliance Officer Tips

• Keeping up with Industry Regulations and Best Practices: Industry regulations and best practices regularly evolve. Staying up-to-date with the industry ensures that a compliance officer remains efficient in his or her responsibilities and that the company is always compliant. Courses, webinars, and continuing professional development are essential. 
• Networking through Professional Organizations: Consider becoming an active member of a professional organisation that will benefit your career. For instance, joining the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) or the International Compliance Association (ICA) will allow you to network with peers. This will expose you to additional resources and industry events.
• Certifications: It will be helpful to have certificates of completion from reputable professional bodies to make any compliance officer stand out and excel in his or her profession. This offer will make a compliance officer an outstanding professional and an attractive prospect for most companies.
• Meticulous Record-Keeping and Documentation: Compliance personnel must maintain accurate and detailed records of compliance activities, investigations, and training sessions. They keep detailed minutes of meetings.

Compliance Officer Requirements

Educational Requirements 

• Diploma or Degree in Law, Business, or Related Field: Diploma or Degree in Law, Business, or Related Field. All of this field of work starts with an academic foundation—a diploma or degree in law, business, or a related field. Many compliance officers complete degrees in these areas, and students looking to enter the compliance field should also look at these subjects so they can get an initial firm understanding of regulatory frameworks, how business is run, and other important lessons in corporate law, ethics, risk management, and business administration.
• Relevant Coursework: When pursuing a graduate degree or certificate in compliance and regulatory affairs, students should also fulfil general education requirements, but important components of the degree program or certificate should be related to compliance and regulatory affairs. For example, the Masters in UK Regulatory Affairs at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland requires two specialised courses: Initiating Regulatory Affairs and Compliance and Risk Management. Other related courses that would be useful to a compliance officer include corporate compliance, business ethics, regulatory frameworks, and risk management.

Certification Requirements

• Professional Certifications: Getting professional certifications from established professional bodies, such as the Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) offered by the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics in the US or the Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) offered by the Institute of Certified Regulatory Professionals in the US, are also solid add-ons to your CV or résumé. These certifications confirm your expertise, dedication to the profession, and compliance with the relevant standards in the industry. Many require you to pass an examination and continue your professional development through additional training or education.

Experience Requirements

• Internships or Entry-Level Roles: Getting some experience through internships or entry-level roles can be a big help for those hoping to be a compliance officer someday. These jobs often involve actually implementing the compliance program, helping to research, design, and conduct the audits, or ensuring that you and your company are following the various regulations you operate under. Interning or having an entry-level job can reveal what the job is really like, and you may even walk away from the experience with the skills needed to do the job.

How to Become a Compliance Officer

Completing Relevant Education

• A Diploma or Degree: The first step to becoming a compliance officer is to obtain a diploma or degree in law, business, or a related field. Many colleges and business schools now have specialised compliance programs that train students on domestic and global regulatory affairs and compliance management. A degree program provides valuable general compliance knowledge and lays the foundation for many different compliance roles. 
• ‘Hybrid’ Specialised Compliance Programs: Offered by community colleges, technical schools, or online-based education programs, these degree or certificate programs often emphasise pragmatism and a focus on particular compliance topics or sectors, such as corporate compliance, IT compliance, or environmental compliance.

Gaining Practical Experience

• Internships: Internships provide great on-the-job experience where one can learn about real-life compliance duties and tasks. A good internship will often be under a seasoned compliance officer or manager who can provide hands-on experience for the intern and include lessons on how to develop compliance programs and audit functions, conduct internal investigations, and perform other compliance functions. An internship also allows for networking with chief compliance officers and compliance officers, who can assist with reviewing resumes and interviewing for permanent positions if available.
• Entry-Level Opportunities: Recent graduate or intern? Move into an entry-level role (for example, as a compliance analyst, compliance assistant, or regulatory affairs associate) to acquire appreciability and gain an on-the-job understanding of the nuances of compliance and the mechanics of compliance activities. Entry-level opportunities are gateways to higher mobile assignments as well as specialist roles within the compliance and regulatory discipline.

Obtaining Certification

• Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP): If you work in compliance or ethics management, you can become a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional by passing a three-hour exam administered by the Compliance Certification Board (CCB), based in Center City, Philadelphia. This CCEP designation requires that you have five years of experience as well as coursework in compliance, regulations, and ethics.
• Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM): The CRCM certification, sponsored and administered by the American Bankers Association (ABA), is meant for compliance professionals in the banking and financial services arenas. The CRCM certification demonstrates competency in regulatory compliance management and is granted to those who pass an exam that covers a range of compliance subjects.

Continuing Professional Development

• Workshops, Seminars, and Webinars: Continuous professional development is a must by attending workshops, seminars, and/or webinars on current developments in compliance, in particular new regulations and changes in procedures and practices in compliance. 
• Get an Advanced Degree: Consider pursuing an advanced degree such as a Master’s in Compliance, Law, or Business Administration. An advanced degree offers a more robust understanding of compliance concepts and practices and opens doors to senior-level positions and other specialised roles that a bachelor’s degree alone does not provide. 

Networking

• Professional Organisations: Joining social networks of like-minded professionals is one way to advance your career and continue your education. Membership in associations such as the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) or the International Compliance Association (ICA) isn’t a silver bullet, but it has its benefits. Not only will you connect with others in the profession who might have valuable insight into navigating your career journey, but these organisations can regularly provide resources and host events to keep you aware of the latest developments and controversies in your practice area.
• Industry Events: Attending conferences, workshops, or seminars conducted by companies, universities, or libraries is an excellent way to stay abreast of the latest developments in the compliance industry. It is also a golden opportunity where you can network with more than just your fellow students, junior professionals, or parent company colleagues. You can meet professionals who have spent years in the industry and can guide you through some of the most uncharted territory you will encounter in the course of your work. You might get lucky and meet the right person who can recommend you to their friend for your first job break. 

Get Qualified as a Compliance Officer

Compliance Online Training, Online Training in Compliance and Risk Management, Health and Safety Compliance

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why should you be a compliance officer?
A career as a compliance officer is a stable, fulfilling profession with various opportunities. A compliance officer ensures that an organisation remains within the boundaries of laws and regulations and maintains its reputation by preventing unethical conduct. Having a job in this field is secure and carries good salaries, as well as working experience in different types of industries. It is a critical vocation since it ties directly to the ethical and operational integrity of any business.
Is compliance a good career choice for you? 
So if you’re good at ethical practice, system-focused, excel at dealing with detail, and are great at solving problems and figuring out complex regulatory requirements to support your organisation’s ability to operate within the confines of law and ethics—if you’re slightly interested in law, business, or regulatory affairs and like being part of a regimented environment—then compliance can be a very good career for you. The role can progress senior into compliance or wider into risk management and corporate governance. 
Compliance Officer Salaries
What a compliance officer earns will depend on their experience, where they live, and the sector they are working in. An entry-level officer might earn a basic salary of between £30,000 and £40,000 per year. Those who have been in the role for several years could earn between £40,000 and £60,000 per year. Senior compliance officers, often those who have line management responsibilities, will earn between £60,000 and £90,000 or more. Opportunities in major cities and especially financial hubs such as London and New York might lead to these higher levels of pay since demand is high in sectors where price inflation is high.
Which qualifications can help with a career in compliance?
A professional compliance career requires a diploma or degree in law, business, or a related field, as well as professional certifications such as Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) or Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM). These can be a must for an advanced managerial position. Professionals can demonstrate their professionalism through further advanced studies and certifications. Moreover, professional development must be an ongoing process through external courses, workshops, and. seminars.
Do I need to be an experienced compliance officer to get started? 
No, you don’t need to be an experienced compliance officer first to start learning about the field. Begin by taking any open, entry-level position or internship where you will have hands-on experience and training. If you’re fortunate, your employer will send you to classes too. While you do this real work and earn money, don’t stop your studies. Take classes to earn your certifications at the same time, because you can take those classes anywhere to get the career certifications you’ll need. Entry-level internship positions will introduce you to the duties a compliance officer performs and help you get ready for your professional growth.
Compliance Officer Career Outlook 
As you might expect, career prospects are pretty good for a compliance officer. Businesses are increasing in scope and complexity while legislation and regulation become more involved, meaning demand for good compliance officers will remain high while continuing to grow. That’s why many of the learners we work with at The Compliance Map choose compliance as a rewarding career and stay with the profession for the long term. From a digital perspective, increasing technological expertise and the adoption of new compliance tools offer lots of career development opportunities for compliance officers.
Compliance Officer Hierarchy and Progressing Within the Role
The usual career ladder for a compliance officer starts somewhere in the lower ranks. You might begin working as a compliance analyst or a compliance assistant. Then, if you learn more along the way and avail yourself of a few certifications or some further professional training, you can climb the ladder to senior compliance officer, perhaps compliance manager, and eventually director of compliance.
Learning is, of course, a continuous process; a compliance career will not be without ups and downs. A good administrator might end up in charge of a complete compliance department. A specialist might handle tougher and tougher issues and become a guru of a specific regulatory topic (financial compliance, age compliance, and environmental compliance are all specialist areas).
Compliance Officer Exit Options and Opportunities
Transitioning out of compliance is, therefore, straightforward. Compliance skills are portable; there are lots of exit runs and baths to soak in. Courteous and creative compliance officers could find themselves working as risk managers, corporate government advisors, or regulators’, as the Oxford report puts it. Savvy officers often launch their boutique compliance consulting firms; they leverage their ready-made networks of expertise by becoming expert generalists.