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Compliance investigator vs compliance specialist

The differences between compliance investigators and compliance specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a compliance investigator has an average salary of $58,594, which is higher than the $57,330 average annual salary of a compliance specialist.

The top three skills for a compliance investigator include federal laws, law enforcement and management system. The most important skills for a compliance specialist are patients, regulatory compliance, and strong analytical.

Compliance investigator vs compliance specialist overview

Compliance InvestigatorCompliance Specialist
Yearly salary$58,594$57,330
Hourly rate$28.17$27.56
Growth rate3%6%
Number of jobs19,97734,610
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age4646
Years of experience--

What does a compliance investigator do?

A compliance investigator is primarily responsible for ensuring all aspects of a facility or company complies with its policies and regulations, including government laws and standards. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting regular inspections, gathering and assessing documentation, and conducting interviews and assessments. There are also instances when a compliance investigator must travel to different locations, investigate contract adherence, and identify any fraudulent or illegal activities. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain records of all investigations, producing progress reports as needed.

What does a compliance specialist do?

The role of compliance specialists is to ensure that companies comply with relevant industry standards and regulations. Their duties may vary depending on the industry they work in, such as healthcare or banking. Tasks include reviewing their company's business practices to ensure they follow specific regulations, resolving compliance issues that may arise, and being up-to-date with regulatory changes. As a compliance specialist, you should have industry expertise, in-depth knowledge of regulations, and auditing skills.

Compliance investigator vs compliance specialist salary

Compliance investigators and compliance specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Compliance InvestigatorCompliance Specialist
Average salary$58,594$57,330
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $80,000Between $38,000 And $85,000
Highest paying CityMenlo Park, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateDelawareDelaware
Best paying companyMetaMeta
Best paying industryPharmaceuticalPharmaceutical

Differences between compliance investigator and compliance specialist education

There are a few differences between a compliance investigator and a compliance specialist in terms of educational background:

Compliance InvestigatorCompliance Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeBusiness
Most common college-Harvard University

Compliance investigator vs compliance specialist demographics

Here are the differences between compliance investigators' and compliance specialists' demographics:

Compliance InvestigatorCompliance Specialist
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 57.3% Female, 42.7%Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 8.1% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between compliance investigator and compliance specialist duties and responsibilities

Compliance investigator example 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.
  • Investigate potential AML, KYC and OFAC violations in the Americas and draft reports of findings.
  • Investigate potential OFAC violations, money laundering, and fraudulent financial activity across client business lines.
  • Show more

Compliance specialist example responsibilities.

  • Lead bi-weekly Medicaid meetings to maintain effective communication with all staff regarding AHCA updates and notifications.
  • Manage and submit regulatory permit and notification applications to USDA to import, move and release regulate plant materials.
  • Participate in OCC exam preparation and review including research and presentation of documentation to achieve compliance with federal examiner requests.
  • Access the IDX system to obtain patient billing information in order to review Medicare and Medicaid payments.
  • Develop training materials to be used company-wide for regulatory mandate continuing education; create written policy manual for ethics and compliance.
  • Perform SOX control testing and validation.
  • Show more

Compliance investigator vs compliance specialist skills

Common compliance investigator skills
  • Federal Laws, 10%
  • Law Enforcement, 10%
  • Management System, 7%
  • Conduct Investigations, 5%
  • Ethics, 5%
  • Due Diligence, 4%
Common compliance specialist skills
  • Patients, 9%
  • Regulatory Compliance, 7%
  • Strong Analytical, 5%
  • FDA, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • PowerPoint, 4%

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