How to hire a regulatory compliance officer

How to hire a regulatory compliance officer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step regulatory compliance officer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a regulatory compliance officer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new regulatory compliance officer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a regulatory compliance officer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a regulatory compliance officer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A regulatory compliance officer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, regulatory compliance officers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents regulatory compliance officer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Regulatory Compliance Officer	Description	Hourly rate
   Regulatory Compliance Officer		$23-54
   Compliance Analyst	A compliance analyst is in charge of ensuring that every operation and aspect in a company or facility adheres to the laws and regulations. They are also responsible for conducting regular inspections and assessments, producing reports and presentations, disseminating necessary information and reminders, researching existing policies and laws related to the industry, and remaining updated with new regulations... Show more	$18-41
   Compliance Investigator	A compliance investigator is primarily responsible for ensuring all aspects of a facility or company complies with its policies and regulations, including government laws and standards. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting regular inspections, gathering and assessing documentation, and conducting interviews and assessments... Show more	$20-38

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Regulatory Compliance
   • Risk Management
   • PowerPoint
   • Regulatory Risk
   • Compliance Program
   • Internal Audit
   • Regulatory Changes
   • AML
   • Regulatory Agencies
   • Compliance Issues
   • Securities
   • Compliance Policies
   • FDA
   • Regulatory Issues

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Participate in OCC exam preparation and review including research and presentation of documentation to achieve compliance with federal examiner requests.
   • Prepare company for divestiture base on 1984 FCC ruling.
   • Design, implement and direct an integrate FDA compliant change control and CAPA management system.
   • Track and trend customer complaints, provide related information to QA staff and meet department goals.
   • Track new and upcoming regulatory requirements from governing agencies (FDA, CPSC, OHA etc . )
   • Keep up-to-date with EU legislation relevant to product responsibilities and provide interpretation of regulatory changes and any potential project/product impacts.

   More regulatory compliance officer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your regulatory compliance officer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A regulatory compliance officer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, regulatory compliance officers' average salary in arkansas is 48% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level regulatory compliance officers earn 57% less than senior-level regulatory compliance officers.
   • Certifications. A regulatory compliance officer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a regulatory compliance officer's salary.

   Average regulatory compliance officer salary

   $75,293yearly

   $36.20 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level regulatory compliance officer salary

   $49,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average regulatory compliance officer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$109,092	$52
   2	Connecticut	$94,783	$46
   3	New Hampshire	$91,747	$44
   4	New York	$87,953	$42
   5	Massachusetts	$87,453	$42
   6	District of Columbia	$84,401	$41
   7	Washington	$83,681	$40
   8	Oregon	$80,404	$39
   9	New Jersey	$77,132	$37
   10	Maryland	$76,024	$37
   11	Michigan	$75,192	$36
   12	South Carolina	$73,992	$36
   13	Texas	$73,522	$35
   14	North Carolina	$69,189	$33
   15	Illinois	$67,507	$32
   16	West Virginia	$65,742	$32
   17	Wisconsin	$64,661	$31
   18	Missouri	$63,385	$30
   19	Montana	$62,733	$30
   20	Ohio	$56,991	$27

   Average regulatory compliance officer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Bloomberg	$107,733	$51.79	17
   2	Cisco	$107,409	$51.64
   3	HSBC Bank	$107,254	$51.56	11
   4	Entegris	$107,029	$51.46
   5	BMO Capital Markets	$104,728	$50.35	12
   6	BNY Mellon	$104,004	$50.00	25
   7	Ernst & Young	$103,928	$49.97	23
   8	Citi	$103,644	$49.83	43
   9	Morgan Stanley	$101,785	$48.94	75
   10	Santander Private Banking International	$101,319	$48.71	5
   11	UBS	$101,241	$48.67	30
   12	Santander Bank	$97,659	$46.95	4
   13	Deutsche Bank	$97,179	$46.72	23
   14	Royal Bank of Canada	$96,052	$46.18	15
   15	Sanofi Genzyme	$95,661	$45.99
   16	Credit Suisse	$95,172	$45.76
   17	Credit Agricole CIB	$93,837	$45.11	10
   18	Southern California Edison	$92,832	$44.63	4
   19	Moss Adams	$92,634	$44.54
   20	Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	$91,075	$43.79

4. Writing a regulatory compliance officer job description

   A job description for a regulatory compliance officer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a regulatory compliance officer job description:

   Regulatory compliance officer job description example

   Parallel Systems is an early-stage startup company developing the future of intermodal transportation. Our mission is to decarbonize freight while improving supply chain logistics and safety. We are developing vehicles and software to create new autonomous and electric transportation systems for existing rail infrastructure.
   
   At Parallel Systems, we value the team as much as the mission. We want to work with talented people that are humble, motivated, and persistent. Our most successful team members are self-starters and collaborate with others to reach our collective goals.
   
   We're looking for a regulatory compliance and safety officer to support our operations and engineering staff as the company grows. In this role you'll work with executive leadership, production staff, operations staff, engineers, and relevant authorities to ensure that all operations are performed safely and with integrity. The compliance and safety officer will help standardize and maintain our already-strong commitment to safety as the company grows. By streamlining operational safety plans, you will allow our revolutionary technology to reach a larger market more quickly. Ideal candidates would be building on a strong base of experience managing safety and/or compliance in industrial settings, familiarity with the railroad industry, and an interest in setting the stage for safety in an emerging market.
   
   ResponsibilitiesDevelop, implement, and model written workplace safety policies. Develop and maintain systems for scheduling and record-keeping of inspections, training, testing, and maintenance required by regulation and by internal policies. Coordinate regular safety meetings with stakeholders from all departments. Develop and maintain systems for performance and record keeping of quality control requirements defined by engineering team. Participate with engineering and operations staff in the product hazard analysis process. Participate with engineering and operations staff in drafting and review of instruction manuals, operating procedures, warning labels, and other safety controls. Meet with counterparts at partner railroads to ensure that our policies are compatible with their work practices and requirements. Develop supplemental coordinated policies when necessary. Work with executive leadership and operations staff to draft petitions, progress reports, and presentations for review by safety regulators. Represent the company alongside executive leadership in meetings with safety regulators. Participate in meetings with local authorities and first responders to brief them on safety considerations where our vehicles are used. Research applicable safety regulations and industry standards and work with engineering staff to apply them to new technologies. Conduct safety trainings, inspections, and audits. Coordinate with operations staff to procure and maintain safety equipment (using outside vendors where appropriate.) Supervise field safety staff to verify compliance with all internal standards and regulatory obligations. Provide education and guidance as necessary to rectify any deficiencies. (Requires occasional travel to remote work sites)
   
   Basic Qualifications Familiarity with fabrication and assembly processes. Familiarity with operation and maintenance of heavy machinery. 3+ years experience developing formal safety plans that comply with federal and state OSHA regulations. Experience representing a company in communications with outside regulators and authorities. Experience administering safety plans in industrial settings where a wide range of hazards are present. Experience participating in safety training, process audits, and process changes. Experience performing the job hazard analysis process.
   
   Preferred QualificationsFamiliarity with railroad safety and FRA regulations 3+ years of experience as a safety manager in a railroad, manufacturing, or industrial setting. Familiarity with electric vehicle safety or other high voltage systems. Active CSP, CIH, or similar certification. Familiarity with manufacturing quality processes such as material certificates, visual inspections, lot traceability, and weld qualification.
   Parallel Systems is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any discriminatory factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. We work to build an inclusive environment in which all people can come to do their best work.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find regulatory compliance officers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your regulatory compliance officer job on Zippia to find and recruit regulatory compliance officer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit regulatory compliance officers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new regulatory compliance officer

   Once you've selected the best regulatory compliance officer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new regulatory compliance officer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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