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Compliance director vs legal compliance officer

The differences between compliance directors and legal compliance officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a compliance director has an average salary of $103,517, which is higher than the $91,936 average annual salary of a legal compliance officer.

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

Compliance director vs legal compliance officer overview

Compliance DirectorLegal Compliance Officer
Yearly salary$103,517$91,936
Hourly rate$49.77$44.20
Growth rate-10%
Number of jobs20,94278,480
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age4746
Years of experience4-

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 legal compliance officer do?

The main duty of a Legal Compliance Officer is to ensure that a company is managed legally and ethically. They must guarantee that businesses are conducted in full compliance with all national and international laws.

Compliance director vs legal compliance officer salary

Compliance directors and legal compliance officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Compliance DirectorLegal Compliance Officer
Average salary$103,517$91,936
Salary rangeBetween $72,000 And $147,000Between $52,000 And $161,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAClifton, NJ
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew Jersey
Best paying companyMcKinsey & Company IncCITGO Petroleum
Best paying industryFinanceManufacturing

Differences between compliance director and legal compliance officer education

There are a few differences between a compliance director and a legal compliance officer in terms of educational background:

Compliance DirectorLegal Compliance Officer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common majorBusinessLaw
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Compliance director vs legal compliance officer demographics

Here are the differences between compliance directors' and legal compliance officers' demographics:

Compliance DirectorLegal Compliance Officer
Average age4746
Gender ratioMale, 53.9% Female, 46.1%Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2%
Race ratioBlack 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, 11.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 8.2% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage10%12%

Differences between compliance director and legal compliance officer 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.
  • Show more

Legal compliance officer example responsibilities.

  • Manage outside counsel in litigation matters and coordinate internal requirements in connection with litigation.
  • Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
  • Review and respond to subpoenas.
  • Provide ethics training and counsel to mission employees.
  • Act in a professional manner with integrity, according to the legal code of ethics of Puerto Rico.
  • Direct the ship's legal activity, including delivery of subpoenas relate to both judicial and non-judicial proceedings.
  • Show more

Compliance director vs legal compliance officer skills

Common compliance director skills
  • Compliance Program, 8%
  • Oversight, 8%
  • Ethics, 8%
  • Risk Management, 6%
  • Compliance Issues, 5%
  • Risk Assessments, 4%
Common legal compliance officer skills
  • Risk Management, 8%
  • Litigation, 7%
  • Legal Compliance, 5%
  • AML, 5%
  • Legal Issues, 4%
  • Legal Research, 4%

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