Regulatory affairs associate vs compliance specialist

The differences between regulatory affairs associates and compliance specialists 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 $57,330 average annual salary of a compliance specialist.

The top three skills for a regulatory affairs associate include regulatory affairs, FDA and regulatory submissions. The most important skills for a compliance specialist are patients, regulatory compliance, and strong analytical.

Regulatory affairs associate vs compliance specialist overview

	Regulatory Affairs Associate	Compliance Specialist
Yearly salary	$71,154	$57,330
Hourly rate	$34.21	$27.56
Growth rate	-	6%
Number of jobs	9,032	34,610
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	46	46
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 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.

Regulatory affairs associate vs compliance specialist salary

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

	Regulatory Affairs Associate	Compliance Specialist
Average salary	$71,154	$57,330
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $102,000	Between $38,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City	San Rafael, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Delaware
Best paying company	Meta	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Pharmaceutical

Differences between regulatory affairs associate and compliance specialist education

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

	Regulatory Affairs Associate	Compliance Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Pharmacy	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	Harvard University

Regulatory affairs associate vs compliance specialist demographics

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

	Regulatory Affairs Associate	Compliance Specialist
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5%	Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6%
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, 10.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between regulatory affairs associate and compliance specialist 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 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.

Regulatory affairs associate vs compliance specialist 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 specialist skills

Patients, 9%
Regulatory Compliance, 7%
Strong Analytical, 5%
FDA, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
PowerPoint, 4%

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Regulatory Affairs Associate
Regulatory Affairs Associate vs Compliance Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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