How to hire a compliance director

How to hire a compliance director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step compliance director hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a compliance director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new compliance director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a compliance director do?

Post a compliance director job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your compliance director job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a compliance director for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A compliance director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, compliance directors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents compliance director salaries for various positions.

   Type of Compliance Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Compliance Director		$34-70
   Regulatory Affairs Manager	A regulatory affairs manager is in charge of ensuring that all aspects of a company adhere to the rules and regulations set by regulatory agencies. Their responsibilities revolve around devising regulation compliance strategies, creating training and orientation programs to inform the staff on the policies and standards, conducting internal inspections and information drives, and keeping abreast with the latest rules and regulations... Show more	$37-85
   Manager, Quality Management, Corporate Compliance	Depending on the industry, there are a lot of functions you need to comply with if you want to become a manager of quality management and corporate compliance. Commonly seen in banks, manufacturing, processing, automotive, and textile companies, this job position is responsible for monitoring, implementing, and oversees the quality of a product... Show more	$35-71

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Compliance Program
   • Oversight
   • Ethics
   • Risk Management
   • Compliance Issues
   • Risk Assessments
   • HIPAA
   • Regulatory Compliance
   • Project Management
   • Internal Audit
   • Internal Controls
   • Compliance Policies
   • Direct Reports
   • Customer Service

   Check all skills

   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.

   More compliance director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your compliance director job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A compliance director salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a compliance director in Tennessee may be lower than in California, and an entry-level compliance director usually earns less than a senior-level compliance director. Additionally, a compliance director with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average compliance director salary

   $103,517yearly

   $49.77 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level compliance director salary

   $72,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average compliance director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$132,320	$64
   2	New York	$116,372	$56
   3	New Jersey	$115,410	$55
   4	Delaware	$112,578	$54
   5	Connecticut	$111,034	$53
   6	District of Columbia	$110,940	$53
   7	Pennsylvania	$107,135	$52
   8	Massachusetts	$105,393	$51
   9	Nevada	$103,873	$50
   10	Arizona	$103,329	$50
   11	Virginia	$101,136	$49
   12	Maryland	$98,750	$47
   13	North Carolina	$98,262	$47
   14	Washington	$97,825	$47
   15	Utah	$92,712	$45
   16	Texas	$91,294	$44
   17	Minnesota	$90,854	$44
   18	Indiana	$90,275	$43
   19	Illinois	$90,263	$43
   20	Florida	$90,053	$43

   Average compliance director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	McKinsey & Company Inc	$169,605	$81.54
   2	Meta	$166,555	$80.07	120
   3	Pure Storage	$160,283	$77.06	1
   4	PayPal	$158,662	$76.28	7
   5	Netflix	$155,155	$74.59
   6	Exelixis	$151,190	$72.69	6
   7	First Republic Bank	$148,620	$71.45
   8	Dolby Laboratories	$145,893	$70.14
   9	TripActions	$145,078	$69.75
   10	Dorsey & Whitney	$144,675	$69.56
   11	Santander Private Banking International	$141,918	$68.23
   12	Silicon Valley Bank	$140,701	$67.64
   13	Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	$139,685	$67.16
   14	Chewy	$138,616	$66.64
   15	JUUL	$138,389	$66.53
   16	Citi	$137,649	$66.18	9
   17	BNP Paribas	$135,778	$65.28
   18	Navistar	$135,017	$64.91	2
   19	Remitly	$134,877	$64.84
   20	Square	$134,604	$64.71

4. Writing a compliance director job description

   A good compliance director job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a compliance director job description:

   Compliance director job description example

   Become one of the stars behind The SHOW and become part of the world's most powerful entertainment brands. Our Company has one exciting mission: To entertain the human race.
   
   The Director of Technology Compliance is responsible for the overseeing and delivery of IT Audits including but not limited to Payment Card Industry (PCI), Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), and Minimum Internal Control Standards (MICS). This position acts as the main liaison between MGMRI IT and the Gaming Boards, and will also oversee vendor assessments to reduce overall risk to the company.
   
   Responsible for the IT Compliance program Understands and champions IT controls for SOX, PCI, Gaming and any other regulatory audits Creates processes and procedures for a third party vendor assessment program.Oversees vendor relationship discovery and remediation, vendor access reviews and vendor information repositories Instills goodwill among regulators, clients, staff, vendors and stakeholders.Promotes technology “best practice” compliance and standards.Collaborates with IT and Internal Audit teams to ensure compliance with internal controls.Assists with the proper maintenance of changes to technical security/governance standards or regulations.Generates and provides regular compliance reports/scorecards to Executive Management.Oversees the planning, preparation, testing, submission and tracking of technical and control submissions to internal/external auditors as well as any appropriate regulators.Review all technical and control submission packages to the specifications of each jurisdiction according to internal company procedures.Ensures that urgent or special changes are expedited and coordinated and that regulators are informed in accordance with requirements or internal controls.Provides advice and assistance to individual properties in the development of documented internal controls pertaining to IT.Annually review and update IT Internal Control Standards.Maintains a dossier of all property internal control and operating procedures and ensures properties update these, as required, by new regulations or product changes.Ensures that requests from any audit or regulatory organizations are processed and expedited accordingly.Coordinates and facilitates annual testing with internal and external auditors.Communicates SOX requirements to IT and works with areas through any remediation efforts.Oversees accurate records and the reporting of daily and monthly updates for Executive Management.Represents the Compliance department as the key representative for IT on the SOX Project managed by corporate executives.Works with Internal Audit to facilitate year-end audit reporting.Oversees audit reviews throughout the year to ensure best practices are integrated into all environments.Develops and manages a system that ensures IT areas are informed about SOX requirements and are using best practices.Understands and champions IT controls related to PCI requirements.Coordinates quarterly and annual testing with internal and external auditors.Communicates PCI requirements to IT and assist with compliance process.Oversees project management of any remediation items from yearly QSA review.Develops and manages system that ensures timely and accurate submissions are made to all payment card regulators. In addition, ensures that submissions are complete in content and detail to meet regulators expectations.Oversees the management of requirements for the quarterly scanning process.Acts as a PCI advocate for all MGMRI IT communications with other departments and organizations.Works with Legal to understand legislature requirements for IT systems and processes.Champions and drives enforcement of legislature requirements for IT systems and processes within the company.Correlates all IT Governance and information security controls across multiple regulations (MICS/PCI/SOX, etc.) to ensure controls are being properly implemented and maintained to the most conservative set of requirements.
   SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
   Sr. Program Mangers, Senior Compliance Analysts and/or Compliance Analysts
   
   MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
   Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or a related field or equivalent work experience. 7 years of experience in Information Technology/Security Risk ManagementPrevious Director-level experience in the field of Technology Compliance.
   
   PREFERRED:
   Must have a high level of understanding for the following regulations:Nevada GamingSOXPCIMust excel working in a fast-paced environment Demonstrated proficiency in audits and experience or exposure working with auditors required Must exhibit knowledge of a hospitality/gaming environment and how the business is affected by regulatory requirements.Must have worked in a regulated environment previously.Must have excellent writing and verbal communications skills. Capable of communicating different levels of information to various, different stakeholders as well as executive management.
   
   CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:
   CISA /CISSP certification is highly desired.Applicant must be eligible for gaming license, which requires the applicant does not have a criminal background among other things.Proof of eligibility to work in the United States.
   
   Location:
   US, Nevada

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right compliance director for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your compliance director job on Zippia to find and recruit compliance director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting compliance directors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new compliance director

   Once you have selected a candidate for the compliance director position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new compliance director. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a compliance director?