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What is a regulatory affairs director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
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Starting a new company requires regulatory paperwork. Instead of doing this yourself, you can hire a regulatory affairs director to do it. A regulatory affairs director fills all the necessary applications and handles government interactions. They do this to ensure the completion of the regulation process for products that require the government's approval. Basically, the regulatory director ensures the company is regulation compliant.

The director serves as the point person in communicating with regulatory bodies to obtain necessary licenses for all projects and products. They also prepare an overall regulatory strategy that forecasts and prevents problems related to non-compliance with any regulation.

A regulatory affairs director must have at least a bachelor's degree and five or more years of managerial experience to be qualified for this position.

ScoreRegulatory Affairs DirectorUS Average
Salary
8.2

Avg. Salary $122,617

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity
3.4
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.66%

Asian 8.66%

Black or African American 7.53%

Hispanic or Latino 12.61%

Unknown 4.69%

White 65.85%

Gender

female 44.21%

male 55.79%

Age - 47
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47
Stress level
7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Regulatory affairs director career paths

Key steps to become a regulatory affairs director

  1. Explore regulatory affairs director education requirements

    Most common regulatory affairs director degrees

    Bachelor's

    67.0 %

    Master's

    14.0 %

    Doctorate

    12.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific regulatory affairs director skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Regulatory Affairs12.62%
    FDA8.21%
    Regulatory Strategy7.11%
    Global Regulatory6.98%
    Regulatory Agencies6.76%
  3. Complete relevant regulatory affairs director training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New regulatory affairs directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a regulatory affairs director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real regulatory affairs director resumes.
  4. Research regulatory affairs director duties and responsibilities

    • Implement ISO 9001complaint quality system and manage surveillance audits.
    • Assess state Medicaid manage care contract and vendor contract requirements to create compliance audit plans.
    • Manage customer complaints, including MDR submissions, maintenance of complaint database, and correspondence with the customer.
    • Provide subject matter expertise involving applicable FDA regulations, EU directives, ISO and ASTM standards, and applicable ICH guidelines.
  5. Get regulatory affairs director experience

    Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a regulatory affairs director. The most common roles before becoming a regulatory affairs director include regulatory affairs manager, regulatory affairs specialist team lead and director.
  6. Prepare your regulatory affairs director resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your regulatory affairs director resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a regulatory affairs director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable regulatory affairs director resume templates

    Build a professional regulatory affairs director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your regulatory affairs director resume.
    Regulatory Affairs Director Resume
    Regulatory Affairs Director Resume
    Regulatory Affairs Director Resume
    Regulatory Affairs Director Resume
    Regulatory Affairs Director Resume
    Regulatory Affairs Director Resume
    Regulatory Affairs Director Resume
    Regulatory Affairs Director Resume
    Regulatory Affairs Director Resume
  7. Apply for regulatory affairs director jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a regulatory affairs director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first regulatory affairs director job

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Average regulatory affairs director salary

The average regulatory affairs director salary in the United States is $122,617 per year or $59 per hour. Regulatory affairs director salaries range between $81,000 and $184,000 per year.

Average regulatory affairs director salary
$122,617 Yearly
$58.95 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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