Regulatory affairs director vs compliance manager

The differences between regulatory affairs directors and compliance managers 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 manager. Additionally, a regulatory affairs director has an average salary of $122,617, which is higher than the $95,130 average annual salary of a compliance manager.

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

Regulatory affairs director vs compliance manager overview

	Regulatory Affairs Director	Compliance Manager
Yearly salary	$122,617	$95,130
Hourly rate	$58.95	$45.74
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	13,981	19,088
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
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 manager do?

Compliance managers are professionals who maintain the ethical and legal integrity of an organization. They establish and oversee control systems to deal with and prevent violations against internal policies and legal guidelines. It is their responsibility to assess the efficiency of controls and improve their continuity. They are professionals with exceptional analytical skills as they design control systems, execute regular audits, and enforce organizational policies. The skills necessary for this job include strong communication skills and knowledge of industry regulations and procedures.

Regulatory affairs director vs compliance manager salary

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

	Regulatory Affairs Director	Compliance Manager
Average salary	$122,617	$95,130
Salary range	Between $81,000 And $184,000	Between $66,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City	Sacramento, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Coty	Meta
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Finance

Differences between regulatory affairs director and compliance manager education

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

	Regulatory Affairs Director	Compliance Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Regulatory affairs director vs compliance manager demographics

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

	Regulatory Affairs Director	Compliance Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2%	Male, 48.6% Female, 51.4%
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, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between regulatory affairs director and compliance manager 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 manager example responsibilities.

Manage due diligence reviews in regard to FCPA.
Manage CFPB audit on both servicing and originations units.
Lead a team to assess and analyze Dodd-Frank CFTC swap regulations.
Promote to manage system development teams charge with performing new product QA.
Lead department review presentations on impact of new EU regulations effective Jan-2008.
Set up a project PMO team, along with organizing awareness and remediation team leads across every area.

Regulatory affairs director vs compliance manager 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 manager skills

Oversight, 9%
Ethics, 6%
Risk Management, 6%
Compliance Program, 5%
Regulatory Compliance, 4%
Risk Assessments, 3%

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Regulatory Affairs Director
Regulatory Affairs Director vs Compliance Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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