How To Become A Regulatory Affairs Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a regulatory affairs manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Regulatory affairs managers ensure that organizations comply with government regulations related to their products and services. They are responsible for researching and interpreting laws, preparing reports and submissions for regulatory agencies, and managing the approval process for new products. Regulatory affairs managers work collaboratively with other departments within a company, such as research and development, quality control, and marketing, to ensure that all products meet legal requirements and are safe for consumers.

ScoreRegulatory Affairs ManagerUS Average

Salary

8.1

Avg. Salary $117,714

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

3.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.66%

Asian 9.02%

Black or African American 7.66%

Hispanic or Latino 12.85%

Unknown 4.70%

White 65.11%

Gender

female 54.19%

male 45.81%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a regulatory affairs manager?

Pros

Opportunity to work in a variety of industries
High demand for skilled professionals
Good salary and benefits
Opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and products
Chance to contribute to public health and safety

Cons

High level of responsibility and accountability
Complex and ever-changing regulations
Frequent training and continuing education required to stay current with regulations
Need to balance business goals with regulatory compliance requirements
Risk of legal repercussions for non-compliance.

Key steps to become a regulatory affairs manager

Explore regulatory affairs manager education requirements

Most common regulatory affairs manager degrees

Bachelor's

63.8 %

Master's

19.1 %

Doctorate

8.0 %

Start to develop specific regulatory affairs manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Regulatory Affairs	10.88%
FDA	7.53%
Medical Devices	6.30%
Regulatory Submissions	5.12%
Regulatory Agencies	5.02%

Complete relevant regulatory affairs manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New regulatory affairs managers 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 manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real regulatory affairs manager resumes.

Research regulatory affairs manager duties and responsibilities

Implement and achieve ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 registrations for the first time for the company.
Manage team which monitor the clinics' daily, weekly and monthly water and equipment maintenance requirements to meet CMS regulations.
Manage departmental and special project economics, including oversight of budgeting, expense management, and reimbursement billing.
Coordinate, oversee and audit record-keeping requirements of DEA, OSHA, D.O.T.

Prepare your regulatory affairs manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your regulatory affairs manager 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 manager 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 manager resume templates

Build a professional regulatory affairs manager 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 manager resume.