How To Become A Compliance Investigator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a compliance investigator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A compliance investigator makes sure that businesses are following governmental regulations and contract obligations. They can work in a variety of industries where there is potential for abuse and where people could get seriously hurt by compliance violations, from construction to healthcare. No matter where compliance investigators work, they need to go out in the field to examine sites and businesses for potential violations. Their keen attention to detail can spot any compliance breaches. Back in the office, compliance investigators spend a lot of time drafting reports and documenting investigations. They are highly informed about the rules and regulations that govern their industry and able to communicate them clearly.

The path to becoming a compliance investigator depends on the person and their field. About half choose to earn a bachelor's degree. Others go on to earn a master's, while other compliance investigators have only a certificate.

Compliance investigators usually need several years of experience as compliance analysts or investigators before earning this position. Once they do, they can expect an average salary of $58,376 a year.

ScoreCompliance InvestigatorUS Average

Salary

4.6

Avg. Salary $58,594

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.3

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.83%

Asian 8.11%

Black or African American 11.96%

Hispanic or Latino 15.38%

Unknown 4.46%

White 59.27%

Gender

female 42.68%

male 57.32%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.5

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a compliance investigator

Explore compliance investigator education requirements

Most common compliance investigator degrees

Bachelor's

65.2 %

Master's

15.9 %

Associate

10.5 %

Start to develop specific compliance investigator skills

Skills	Percentages
Federal Laws	10.20%
Law Enforcement	9.83%
Management System	7.15%
Conduct Investigations	5.35%
Ethics	4.70%

Research compliance investigator duties and responsibilities

Participate in OCC exam preparation and review including research and presentation of documentation to achieve compliance with federal examiner requests.
Conduct BSA risk assessments on new products & services.
Prepare and conduct yearly bank wide BSA/AML training.
Research employee theft, fraud, Medicaid and Medicare contract compliance and computer security issues.

Prepare your compliance investigator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your compliance investigator resume.

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