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What is a regulatory compliance director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
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A regulatory compliance director is an individual who ensures that a company or an organization complies with workforce regulations, requirements, and procedures. These individuals are responsible for developing and enforcing company policies regarding hiring, firing, training, workers compensation, benefits, and staff coaching. A regulatory compliance director runs internal audits and designs and coordinates the preparation and ongoing review of policies, procedures, and training materials to meet company and external requirements.

A regulatory compliance director typically works in an office environment during a typical work week but may need to travel to different sites to conduct audits or training sessions. These individuals interface with employees and upper management regarding policies and procedures and develop organizational compliance strategies by contributing information, analysis, and recommendations to upper management. They also evaluate trends, establish organizational measurements, determine production, productivity, quality, and customer-service strategies.

A regulatory compliance director should possess strong communication, organizational, and management skills and may have an advanced degree in business, communications, or a related field. However, an advanced degree is not necessarily critical if the individual has comparable knowledge and skills. A regulatory compliance director can make up to $180,000 annually in the US.

ScoreRegulatory Compliance DirectorUS Average
Salary
7.8

Avg. Salary $108,049

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity
3.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 8.17%

Black or African American 7.87%

Hispanic or Latino 13.23%

Unknown 4.72%

White 65.35%

Gender

female 47.65%

male 52.35%

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
8.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.9

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Regulatory compliance director career paths

Key steps to become a regulatory compliance director

  1. Explore regulatory compliance director education requirements

    Most common regulatory compliance director degrees

    Bachelor's

    66.8 %

    Master's

    15.5 %

    Doctorate

    9.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific regulatory compliance director skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Regulatory Compliance20.30%
    Oversight8.26%
    FDA6.01%
    Compliance Risk5.44%
    Risk Assessments5.05%
  3. Complete relevant regulatory compliance director training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New regulatory compliance 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 compliance director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real regulatory compliance director resumes.
  4. Research regulatory compliance director duties and responsibilities

    • Manage successful remediation plan of aseptic suite sterility failure/shutdown and FDA communications.
    • Manage and submit regulatory permit and notification applications to USDA to import, move and release regulate plant materials.
    • Edit and revise all existing quality system policies to meet new regulations and changes make by FDA and other regulatory bodies.
    • Develop, manage and implement program governance and structure to ensure major programs are strategically align with organizational objectives.
  5. Get regulatory compliance director experience

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

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your regulatory compliance 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 compliance 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 compliance director resume templates

    Build a professional regulatory compliance 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 compliance director resume.
    Regulatory Compliance Director Resume
    Regulatory Compliance Director Resume
    Regulatory Compliance Director Resume
    Regulatory Compliance Director Resume
    Regulatory Compliance Director Resume
    Regulatory Compliance Director Resume
    Regulatory Compliance Director Resume
    Regulatory Compliance Director Resume
    Regulatory Compliance Director Resume
  7. Apply for regulatory compliance director jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a regulatory compliance 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 compliance director job

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Average regulatory compliance director salary

The average regulatory compliance director salary in the United States is $108,049 per year or $52 per hour. Regulatory compliance director salaries range between $71,000 and $162,000 per year.

Average regulatory compliance director salary
$108,049 Yearly
$51.95 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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