Regulatory affairs associate vs compliance auditor

The differences between regulatory affairs associates and compliance auditors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a regulatory affairs associate has an average salary of $71,154, which is higher than the $64,606 average annual salary of a compliance auditor.

The top three skills for a regulatory affairs associate include regulatory affairs, FDA and regulatory submissions. The most important skills for a compliance auditor are audit findings, compliance audits, and audit reports.

Regulatory affairs associate vs compliance auditor overview

	Regulatory Affairs Associate	Compliance Auditor
Yearly salary	$71,154	$64,606
Hourly rate	$34.21	$31.06
Growth rate	-	6%
Number of jobs	9,032	33,704
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	46	44
Years of experience	4	-

What does a regulatory affairs associate do?

A regulatory affairs associate is in charge of learning and implementing company policies and government regulations, ensuring compliance in every aspect of the company. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with different departments to gather data, conducting inspections and assessments, reviewing existing procedures, liaising with external agencies, and producing progress reports. They may also participate in instructing employees of the standards one must uphold. Furthermore, as a regulatory affairs associate, it is essential to develop guidelines and standards on every procedure in adherence to the latest policies and regulations.

What does a compliance auditor do?

A compliance auditor is responsible for reviewing the company's policies and procedures, ensuring the organization's adherence to state and federal regulations. Compliance auditors inspect the operations of each department, adjusting internal guidelines as needed. They also inspect the condition of all facilities, including tools and equipment, network systems, and business operations. A compliance auditor mitigates risks by analyzing the operational processes and conducting a risk assessment study to prevent compliance issues that may pose a negative effect on the company's performance and stability.

Regulatory affairs associate vs compliance auditor salary

Regulatory affairs associates and compliance auditors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Regulatory Affairs Associate	Compliance Auditor
Average salary	$71,154	$64,606
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $102,000	Between $45,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	San Rafael, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Meta	PayPal
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between regulatory affairs associate and compliance auditor education

There are a few differences between a regulatory affairs associate and a compliance auditor in terms of educational background:

	Regulatory Affairs Associate	Compliance Auditor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Pharmacy	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Regulatory affairs associate vs compliance auditor demographics

Here are the differences between regulatory affairs associates' and compliance auditors' demographics:

	Regulatory Affairs Associate	Compliance Auditor
Average age	46	44
Gender ratio	Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5%	Male, 38.9% Female, 61.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 8.3% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 12.2% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	7%

Differences between regulatory affairs associate and compliance auditor duties and responsibilities

Regulatory affairs associate example responsibilities.

Manage CQA vendor deliverables and liaise with vendors to identify and remedy GCP compliance issues with active sites.
Manage the compliance education tracking and documentation process for international GMP education.
Manage eCTD submission preparation by negotiating data requirements and deliverable dates with internal technical teams.
Manage and submit regulatory permit and notification applications to USDA to import, move and release regulate plant materials.
Develop all require QMS procedures complying the requirements of 21 CFR 820 and ISO 13485.
Help prepare & maintain FDA submit regulatory documents with a team of others, as well as place them in eCTD.

Compliance auditor example responsibilities.

Work with department analyst to create measurement tools and methods for communicating results and managing QA analysis in compiling/reporting results.
Identify any issues that do not conform to CFR, ICH guidelines and corporate expectations.
Research HIPAA information from CMS website in order to determine correct revisions for policies and procedures and develop company-wide communications.
Coordinate team meetings, maintain calendars, support team with PowerPoint presentations.
Prepare and perform in-house presentations (both in person and using JoinMe) using PowerPoint.
Evaluate the level of compliance with company policy, GAAP, contract requirements and applicable rules and regulations.

Regulatory affairs associate vs compliance auditor skills

Common regulatory affairs associate skills

Regulatory Affairs, 12%
FDA, 9%
Regulatory Submissions, 8%
Medical Devices, 6%
Global Regulatory, 5%
Regulatory Agencies, 4%

Common compliance auditor skills

Audit Findings, 7%
Compliance Audits, 7%
Audit Reports, 6%
Audit Results, 4%
CPT, 4%
Compliance Program, 4%

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Regulatory Affairs Associate
Regulatory Affairs Associate vs Compliance Auditor

Updated January 8, 2025

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