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The differences between compliance officers and compliance directors 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 $64,058 average annual salary of a compliance officer.
The top three skills for a compliance officer include oversight, risk management and compliance program. The most important skills for a compliance director are compliance program, oversight, and ethics.
| Compliance Officer | Compliance Director | |
| Yearly salary | $64,058 | $103,517 |
| Hourly rate | $30.80 | $49.77 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 69,161 | 20,942 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A compliance officer is responsible for monitoring company operations, ensuring that all the processes and members are adhering to the regulatory and procedural policies set by the company. Compliance officers' duties also include proposing compliance programs, reviewing and updating existing company policies with management approval, taking immediate actions for policy violations, and mitigating risks. A compliance officer must have extensive knowledge of legal procedures and regulatory standards to manage and evaluate problems, providing meaningful solutions, and keep the company's positive reputation.
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.
Compliance officers and compliance directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Compliance Officer | Compliance Director | |
| Average salary | $64,058 | $103,517 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $96,000 | Between $72,000 And $147,000 |
| Highest paying City | Wilmington, DE | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a compliance officer and a compliance director in terms of educational background:
| Compliance Officer | Compliance Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between compliance officers' and compliance directors' demographics:
| Compliance Officer | Compliance Director | |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.8% Female, 51.2% | Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 8.3% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 10% |