Regulatory compliance specialist vs compliance investigator

The differences between regulatory compliance specialists and compliance investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a regulatory compliance specialist has an average salary of $63,073, which is higher than the $58,594 average annual salary of a compliance investigator.

The top three skills for a regulatory compliance specialist include risk assessments, regulatory compliance and regulatory agencies. The most important skills for a compliance investigator are federal laws, law enforcement, and management system.

Regulatory compliance specialist vs compliance investigator overview

	Regulatory Compliance Specialist	Compliance Investigator
Yearly salary	$63,073	$58,594
Hourly rate	$30.32	$28.17
Growth rate	-	3%
Number of jobs	22,563	19,977
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	-

What does a regulatory compliance specialist do?

A regulatory compliance specialist job is to ensure that organizations conform to industry standards, specifications, regulations, and laws. They review operating practices, make and enforce compliance plans, and perform regulatory possible risk management. They may be employed as consultants or hired by an organization. They will review documentation, coordinating regulatory compliance procedures across organizations, collaborating with stakeholders, internal and external, on issues related to compliance, and performing audits. In addition, this job requires extensive experience in regulatory compliance and profound industry knowledge.

What does a compliance investigator do?

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. There are also instances when a compliance investigator must travel to different locations, investigate contract adherence, and identify any fraudulent or illegal activities. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain records of all investigations, producing progress reports as needed.

Regulatory compliance specialist vs compliance investigator salary

Regulatory compliance specialists and compliance investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Regulatory Compliance Specialist	Compliance Investigator
Average salary	$63,073	$58,594
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $93,000	Between $42,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Menlo Park, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Delaware
Best paying company	Microsoft	Meta
Best paying industry	Health Care	Pharmaceutical

Differences between regulatory compliance specialist and compliance investigator education

There are a few differences between a regulatory compliance specialist and a compliance investigator in terms of educational background:

	Regulatory Compliance Specialist	Compliance Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Harvard University	-

Regulatory compliance specialist vs compliance investigator demographics

Here are the differences between regulatory compliance specialists' and compliance investigators' demographics:

	Regulatory Compliance Specialist	Compliance Investigator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 42.5% Female, 57.5%	Male, 57.3% Female, 42.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 8.1% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 8.1% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between regulatory compliance specialist and compliance investigator duties and responsibilities

Regulatory compliance specialist example responsibilities.

Manage an ongoing closure at a former phosphate plant with an emphasis on phosphogypsum stacks and NPDES storm water permits.
Manage RCRA permit hazardous waste storage facility.
Provide EHS regulatory compliance services to several federal government clients and manage hazardous waste documentation databases.
Manage and submit regulatory permit and notification applications to USDA to import, move and release regulate plant materials.
Support FDA, ISO, and internal audits as needed.
Follow ISO procedures and GMP requirements pertaining to medical devices.

Compliance investigator example responsibilities.

Participate in OCC exam preparation and review including research and presentation of documentation to achieve compliance with federal examiner requests.
Conduct BSA risk assessments on new products & services.
Prepare and conduct yearly bank wide BSA/AML training.
Research employee theft, fraud, Medicaid and Medicare contract compliance and computer security issues.
Investigate potential AML, KYC and OFAC violations in the Americas and draft reports of findings.
Investigate potential OFAC violations, money laundering, and fraudulent financial activity across client business lines.

Regulatory compliance specialist vs compliance investigator skills

Common regulatory compliance specialist skills

Risk Assessments, 10%
Regulatory Compliance, 9%
Regulatory Agencies, 8%
HIPAA, 7%
Government Regulations, 7%
Regulatory Submissions, 7%

Common compliance investigator skills

Federal Laws, 10%
Law Enforcement, 10%
Management System, 7%
Conduct Investigations, 5%
Ethics, 5%
Due Diligence, 4%

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Regulatory Compliance Specialist
Regulatory Compliance Specialist vs Compliance Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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