How to hire a compliance officer

How to hire a compliance officer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step compliance officer 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 officer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new compliance officer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a compliance officer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The compliance officer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A compliance officer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, compliance officers 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.

   Here's a comparison of compliance officer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Compliance Officer	Description	Hourly rate
   Compliance Officer		$20-46
   Lead Auditor	Lead auditors are professionals who are responsible for providing leadership and coordinating work schedules to a team of audit experts within an organization. These lead auditors are required to prepare audit plans and conduct team meetings before conducting internal or external audits at the end of the quarter or year... Show more	$29-55
   Compliance Analyst	A compliance analyst is in charge of ensuring that every operation and aspect in a company or facility adheres to the laws and regulations. They are also responsible for conducting regular inspections and assessments, producing reports and presentations, disseminating necessary information and reminders, researching existing policies and laws related to the industry, and remaining updated with new regulations... Show more	$18-41

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Oversight
   • Risk Management
   • Compliance Program
   • Compliance Issues
   • Risk Assessments
   • PowerPoint
   • Regulatory Compliance
   • Compliance Policies
   • Internal Audit
   • Customer Service
   • Ethics
   • Compliance Reviews
   • Federal Laws
   • Regulatory Agencies

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Achieve millions of dollars in possible FDA fines and remediation costs by eliminating regulatory risk.
   • Lead a team to review new HCBS final rules settings as outlined by CMS for all contract provider agencies.
   • Participate in OCC exam preparation and review including research and presentation of documentation to achieve compliance with federal examiner requests.
   • Track and coordinate CAPA to ensure effectiveness in root cause remediation.
   • Support senior compliance staff and legal counsel in all phases of investigation and litigation.
   • Use the Internet, Lexis Nexis and Accuity as necessary to perform EDD QA processes.

   More compliance officer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your compliance officer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A compliance officer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, compliance officers' average salary in arkansas is 48% less than in delaware.
   • Seniority. Entry-level compliance officers earn 56% less than senior-level compliance officers.
   • Certifications. A compliance officer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a compliance officer's salary.

   Average compliance officer salary

   $64,058yearly

   $30.80 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level compliance officer salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 11, 2026

   Average compliance officer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Delaware	$85,187	$41
   2	District of Columbia	$82,900	$40
   3	Connecticut	$80,912	$39
   4	California	$76,508	$37
   5	New Jersey	$75,043	$36
   6	New York	$74,465	$36
   7	Massachusetts	$72,514	$35
   8	Minnesota	$70,927	$34
   9	Maryland	$67,633	$33
   10	Pennsylvania	$67,355	$32
   11	Ohio	$66,629	$32
   12	Missouri	$65,482	$31
   13	Illinois	$65,015	$31
   14	Virginia	$64,673	$31
   15	Colorado	$61,622	$30
   16	Maine	$59,508	$29
   17	Texas	$58,506	$28
   18	Hawaii	$58,098	$28
   19	Oregon	$56,622	$27
   20	Iowa	$53,949	$26

   Average compliance officer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$124,228	$59.73	127
   2	Virtu Financial	$110,040	$52.90
   3	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC	$109,245	$52.52	3
   4	Genentech	$106,828	$51.36	4
   5	Citi	$105,696	$50.82	55
   6	Tishman	$104,864	$50.42
   7	Bloomberg	$103,212	$49.62	14
   8	BNY Mellon	$103,119	$49.58	14
   9	Visa	$102,987	$49.51
   10	AIG	$102,875	$49.46	11
   11	BMO Capital Markets	$101,074	$48.59	6
   12	City National Bank	$100,389	$48.26	160
   13	Baird	$99,613	$47.89	11
   14	Santander Bank	$99,548	$47.86
   15	Icma-rc	$98,908	$47.55	15
   16	Western Alliance Bank	$98,903	$47.55	15
   17	Morgan Stanley	$98,197	$47.21	74
   18	Parsons	$97,454	$46.85	21
   19	Invesco	$97,041	$46.65	8
   20	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$96,613	$46.45	113

4. Writing a compliance officer job description

   A good compliance officer 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 officer job description:

   Compliance officer job description example

   AML Compliance Officer, Hungary
   Are you interested in a new role, liaising with local authorities and connecting with regulators? Does working for a company where you can expand your knowledge of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and compliance and have genuine career development opportunities interest you? Join Western Union as an AML Compliance Officer.
   
   Motivated by our values: purpose driven, globally minded, and trustworthy & respectful
   We're a FinTech that's using insight from customers and colleagues worldwide to improve financial services for families, small businesses, multinational corporations, and non-profit organizations. We're a team of over 8,000 employees serving 200 countries and territories. We believe when money moves, better things happen.
   
   Better starts and ends with the customer
   We'll look to you to primarily manage the program across country, providing AML compliance support to agents of Western Union and its affiliates. Using your knowledge of the Hungarian AML regulatory framework you will work closely with local authority and regulators (National Bank of Hungary and Hungarian FIU) to ensure our agents are compliant and adhering to AML regulations. You will focus on evaluation of internal controls and anti-money laundering compliance programs for agents through transaction analyses, compliance reviews and training sessions. In addition to standard program reviews, you will be assigned program reviews that are more complex by nature and not routine, this will include agent risk management, SARS reporting, using advance analysis, reasoning and judgement skills.
   
   To be successful in this role you will be self-starter, a motivated individual who can work autonomously, you possess analytical and problem-solving skills, have proven and solid experience in AML compliance within the Financial Services, payments, or remittance industry. You will also have some auditing, and risk management experience, and must have solid working knowledge of Hungarian Regulatory framework requirements. You will be fluent in the Hungarian and English languages and possess excellent written and verbal communication and training presentation skills. There is requirement for flexibility as you will need to travel to agent sites on a regular basis.
   
   Join us, and let's connect the world
   Western Union is transforming its business and shaping the financial services sector by driving quality, convenience, and customer service to new levels of excellence. It's an exciting time for our organization, as the largest cross-border money transfer operator, trusted by millions of consumers around the world. If you're ready to unleash your potential to help drive change through bottom-up innovation, apply now.
   
   We're a company on the move, and we want our people to grow and develop. You'll have plenty of opportunities to learn new skills and build a career, as well as a great salary and benefits package.
   
   We are passionate about our diversity. Our commitment is to provide an inclusive culture that celebrates the unique backgrounds and perspectives of our global teams, while reflecting the communities we serve. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, political affiliation, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, or veteran (U.S.) status. The company will provide accommodation to applicants, including those with disabilities, during the recruitment process, in accordance with applicable laws.
   
   #LI-MS6

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find compliance officers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any compliance officers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level compliance officers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit compliance officers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to 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 officer

   Once you've decided on a perfect compliance officer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new compliance officer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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.)

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How much does it cost to hire a compliance officer?