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The differences between compliance specialists 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 $57,330 average annual salary of a compliance specialist.
The top three skills for a compliance specialist include patients, regulatory compliance and strong analytical. The most important skills for a compliance director are compliance program, oversight, and ethics.
| Compliance Specialist | Compliance Director | |
| Yearly salary | $57,330 | $103,517 |
| Hourly rate | $27.56 | $49.77 |
| Growth rate | 6% | - |
| Number of jobs | 34,610 | 20,942 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
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 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 specialists and compliance directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Compliance Specialist | Compliance Director | |
| Average salary | $57,330 | $103,517 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $85,000 | Between $72,000 And $147,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Finance |
There are a few differences between a compliance specialist and a compliance director in terms of educational background:
| Compliance Specialist | 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 specialists' and compliance directors' demographics:
| Compliance Specialist | Compliance Director | |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% | Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |