Compliance director vs head of ethics and compliance

The differences between compliance directors and heads of ethics and compliance can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a compliance director and a head of ethics and compliance. Additionally, a head of ethics and compliance has an average salary of $132,706, which is higher than the $103,517 average annual salary of a compliance director.

The top three skills for a compliance director include compliance program, oversight and ethics. The most important skills for a head of ethics and compliance are risk management, oversight, and compliance risk.

Compliance director vs head of ethics and compliance overview

	Compliance Director	Head Of Ethics And Compliance
Yearly salary	$103,517	$132,706
Hourly rate	$49.77	$63.80
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	20,942	23,686
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does a compliance director do?

Compliance Directors oversee the adherence of different business units to company policies. They are considered experts on the different processes, policies, and regulatory systems that govern the business's operations, be it internal or external. They also keep themselves updated on the different external regulations and compliance procedures from governing bodies. This helps them ensure that the company is following the current guidelines. Compliance Directors have a say in the different internal company policies while overseeing the compliance to finance, human resources, and other related procedures.

What does a head of ethics and compliance do?

A company's head of ethics and compliance is in charge of implementing policies and regulations to ensure a safe and efficient work environment. They typically manage staff, set department goals and timelines, establish guidelines and protocols, and develop strategies to optimize operations. As the head of ethics and compliance, it is their responsibility to spearhead inspections to ensure company procedures comply with the government standards and regulations, investigate violations and workplace incidents, and implement solutions to resolve issues and concerns.

Compliance director vs head of ethics and compliance salary

Compliance directors and heads of ethics and compliance have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Compliance Director	Head Of Ethics And Compliance
Average salary	$103,517	$132,706
Salary range	Between $72,000 And $147,000	Between $88,000 And $198,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	McKinsey & Company Inc	-
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between compliance director and head of ethics and compliance education

There are a few differences between a compliance director and a head of ethics and compliance in terms of educational background:

	Compliance Director	Head Of Ethics And Compliance
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Law
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Compliance director vs head of ethics and compliance demographics

Here are the differences between compliance directors' and heads of ethics and compliance' demographics:

	Compliance Director	Head Of Ethics And Compliance
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1%	Male, 66.4% Female, 33.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 8.6% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between compliance director and head of ethics and compliance duties and responsibilities

Compliance director example responsibilities.

Manage monthly FINRA registration fee allocations and departmental expenses.
Manage Sarbanes-Oxley financial reporting and CAMP+ coverage, and certification process.
Develop strategy to integrate acquired/new operations to achieve company ethics & compliance standards.
Manage senior and junior surveillance/investigation analysts responsible for conducting AML surveillance and investigations.
Develop, manage and implement program governance and structure to ensure major programs are strategically align with organizational objectives.
Provide explanations to families on Medicare and Medicaid billing and benefits.

Head of ethics and compliance example responsibilities.

Develop, manage and implement program governance and structure to ensure major programs are strategically align with organizational objectives.
Receive, file, monitor and safekept actionable loan documents, titles and loan securities.
Provide oversight for the financial and technical aspects of contract procurement, management, and administration.
Provide AML operational oversight and compliance solutions for stakeholders.
Provide multifunctional support relate to two FDA inspection preparation initiatives (e.g.
Investigate suspicious exchange relate transactions, AML and market abuse relate issues, and escalate appropriate remedial action for effective resolutions.

Compliance director vs head of ethics and compliance skills

Common compliance director skills

Compliance Program, 8%
Oversight, 8%
Ethics, 8%
Risk Management, 6%
Compliance Issues, 5%
Risk Assessments, 4%

Common head of ethics and compliance skills

Risk Management, 12%
Oversight, 12%
Compliance Risk, 8%
Compliance Program, 8%
Compliance Issues, 5%
Regulatory Risk, 5%

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Compliance Director vs Head Of Ethics And Compliance

Updated January 8, 2025

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