Regulatory affairs director vs compliance director

The differences between regulatory affairs directors and compliance directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a regulatory affairs director and a compliance director. Additionally, a regulatory affairs director has an average salary of $122,617, which is higher than the $103,517 average annual salary of a compliance director.

The top three skills for a regulatory affairs director include regulatory affairs, FDA and regulatory strategy. The most important skills for a compliance director are compliance program, oversight, and ethics.

Regulatory affairs director vs compliance director overview

	Regulatory Affairs Director	Compliance Director
Yearly salary	$122,617	$103,517
Hourly rate	$58.95	$49.77
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	13,981	20,942
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does a regulatory affairs director do?

A regulatory affairs director's role is to spearhead the efforts to ensure that all company operations adhere to industry standards and government regulations. Their responsibilities include coordinating with different departments to gather and analyze data, evaluating compliance in various areas, preparing and processing documentation, liaising with external parties, and devising strategies to optimize company compliance. Furthermore, as a regulatory affairs director, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with the workforce, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

What does a compliance director do?

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.

Regulatory affairs director vs compliance director salary

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

	Regulatory Affairs Director	Compliance Director
Average salary	$122,617	$103,517
Salary range	Between $81,000 And $184,000	Between $72,000 And $147,000
Highest paying City	Sacramento, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Coty	McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Finance

Differences between regulatory affairs director and compliance director education

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

	Regulatory Affairs Director	Compliance Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Regulatory affairs director vs compliance director demographics

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

	Regulatory Affairs Director	Compliance Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2%	Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.7% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	10%	10%

Differences between regulatory affairs director and compliance director duties and responsibilities

Regulatory affairs director example 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.
Secure timely approvals for company products (IDE, PMA, Import/Export, ISO).
Prep stability reports for international markets in accordance with FDA and ICH guidelines.

Compliance director example responsibilities.

Manage monthly FINRA registration fee allocations and departmental expenses.
Manage Sarbanes-Oxley financial reporting and CAMP+ coverage, and certification process.
Develop strategy to integrate acquired/new operations to achieve company ethics & compliance standards.
Manage senior and junior surveillance/investigation analysts responsible for conducting AML surveillance and investigations.
Develop, manage and implement program governance and structure to ensure major programs are strategically align with organizational objectives.
Provide explanations to families on Medicare and Medicaid billing and benefits.

Regulatory affairs director vs compliance director skills

Common regulatory affairs director skills

Regulatory Affairs, 13%
FDA, 8%
Regulatory Strategy, 7%
Global Regulatory, 7%
Regulatory Agencies, 7%
Regulatory Submissions, 4%

Common compliance director skills

Compliance Program, 8%
Oversight, 8%
Ethics, 8%
Risk Management, 6%
Compliance Issues, 5%
Risk Assessments, 4%

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Regulatory Affairs Director
Regulatory Affairs Director vs Compliance Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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