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The differences between compliance auditors and chief compliance officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a chief compliance officer has an average salary of $102,166, which is higher than the $64,606 average annual salary of a compliance auditor.
The top three skills for a compliance auditor include audit findings, compliance audits and audit reports. The most important skills for a chief compliance officer are oversight, compliance issues, and risk management.
| Compliance Auditor | Chief Compliance Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $64,606 | $102,166 |
| Hourly rate | $31.06 | $49.12 |
| Growth rate | 6% | - |
| Number of jobs | 33,704 | 76,701 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A compliance auditor is responsible for reviewing the company's policies and procedures, ensuring the organization's adherence to state and federal regulations. Compliance auditors inspect the operations of each department, adjusting internal guidelines as needed. They also inspect the condition of all facilities, including tools and equipment, network systems, and business operations. A compliance auditor mitigates risks by analyzing the operational processes and conducting a risk assessment study to prevent compliance issues that may pose a negative effect on the company's performance and stability.
A CCO or Chief Compliance Officer's primary responsibility is to ensure all procedures or activities are compliant with the company's overall policy and adhering to legal protocols with state and federal laws. Thus, the CCO drafts, proposes and develops compliance programs for the company to implement. Through the chief compliance officer's work, the company can lessen its liabilities and issues that may cause disruptions in production. The CCO is also part of the team that ensures quality in all company processes and activities.
Compliance auditors and chief compliance officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Compliance Auditor | Chief Compliance Officer | |
| Average salary | $64,606 | $102,166 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $92,000 | Between $65,000 And $159,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Delaware |
| Best paying company | PayPal | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a compliance auditor and a chief compliance officer in terms of educational background:
| Compliance Auditor | Chief Compliance Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Business | Law |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between compliance auditors' and chief compliance officers' demographics:
| Compliance Auditor | Chief Compliance Officer | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.9% Female, 61.1% | Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 12.2% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 12% |