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What does a senior compliance specialist do?

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
What does a senior compliance specialist do

A senior compliance specialist is responsible for overseeing business functions and operational processes to ensure that each policy adheres to standard regulations and internal guidelines. Senior compliance specialists inspect the condition of facilities and equipment to prevent potential hazards and operational delays. They also review and resolve incident reports and recommend solutions to minimize risks and maximize productivity in the workplace. A senior compliance specialist plans and facilitates safety training and programs for the employees and reiterate safety policies for strict compliance.

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Senior compliance specialist responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior compliance specialist resumes:

  • Assure appropriate licenses are achieve or payments are stop or not allow for any transaction with a possible OFAC issue.
  • Participate in OCC exam preparation and review including research and presentation of documentation to achieve compliance with federal examiner requests.
  • Ensure employee compliance with the healthcare compliance and business ethics policies and guidelines.
  • Arrange HIPAA training for all levels of management, associates and sales staff working with training staff
  • Provide leadership, guidance, support, mentoring, and training for junior level ethics specialist and employee relations specialists.
  • Analyze and review CAPA records ensuring accurate representation of the depth of investigation conduct.
  • Work closely with technology, developers and AML investigators in piloting and implementing new monitoring scenarios.
  • Understand Medicare and Medicaid appeals process and ensure appeals are file in accordance with regulatory deadlines.
  • Lead oversight of delivery for independent accounts through measurement of contract fulfillment from impose standards and coordinate risk measurement.
  • Plan, perform and supervise internal control compliance with respect to SOX including identification of control issues and recommendations for improvement.
  • Reviewed/Revise current technical methodologies, coordinate validations of new assays, independently troubleshoot problems relating to routine operations of the laboratory.
  • Assign HTS numbers to merchandise base on textile type, structure, gender and content percentage.
  • Facilitate DEA on-site inspections for compliance.
  • Check HTS codes to make sure material is classified for proper export and import handling of duties and taxes.
  • Drive compliance accountability and performance by compiling fines and violation data in SharePoint.

Senior compliance specialist skills and personality traits

We calculated that 6% of Senior Compliance Specialists are proficient in Risk Assessments, Regulatory Compliance, and Regulatory Agencies.

We break down the percentage of Senior Compliance Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Risk Assessments, 6%

    Established and maintained electronic systems for capturing and managing annual risk assessments and tracking audit findings.

  • Regulatory Compliance, 5%

    Led five highly successful regulatory compliance audits pertaining to Operations and Planning and Critical Infrastructure Protection NERC Reliability Standards.

  • Regulatory Agencies, 5%

    Assure that the regulatory report updates are consistent with documentation received from regulatory agencies.

  • Internal Audit, 5%

    Responded to regulatory examinations by state/federal agencies, internal auditors, investors, and various other third party auditors.

  • HIPAA, 4%

    Maintained awareness of HIPAA, SOX, GLB and other regulatory statues ensuring compliance within the work group.

  • Compliance Program, 4%

    Contribute to compliance program development by maintaining program reports and participating in the development and delivery of educational materials.

Most senior compliance specialists use their skills in "risk assessments," "regulatory compliance," and "regulatory agencies" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential senior compliance specialist responsibilities here:

All senior compliance specialist skills

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Senior Compliance Specialist Resume
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Senior Compliance Specialist Resume
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Senior Compliance Specialist Resume
Senior Compliance Specialist Resume
Senior Compliance Specialist Resume
Senior Compliance Specialist Resume
Senior Compliance Specialist Resume
Senior Compliance Specialist Resume
Senior Compliance Specialist Resume
Senior Compliance Specialist Resume
Senior Compliance Specialist Resume
Senior Compliance Specialist Resume
Senior Compliance Specialist Resume
Senior Compliance Specialist Resume

Compare different senior compliance specialists

Senior compliance specialist vs. Lead auditor

Lead auditors are professionals who are responsible for providing leadership and coordinating work schedules to a team of audit experts within an organization. These lead auditors are required to prepare audit plans and conduct team meetings before conducting internal or external audits at the end of the quarter or year. They must conduct audits to provide reviews to the management about the effectiveness of the overall quality system. Lead auditors must also develop action plans to improve the financial reporting systems of the organization.

The annual salary of lead auditors is $13,971 higher than the average salary of senior compliance specialists.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both senior compliance specialist and lead auditor positions are skilled in risk assessments, regulatory compliance, and internal audit.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a senior compliance specialist are more likely to require skills like "regulatory agencies," "hipaa," "compliance program," and "eeo." On the other hand, a job as a lead auditor requires skills like "audit reports," "oil gas," "audit procedures," and "data analysis." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Lead auditors earn the highest salaries when working in the professional industry, with an average yearly salary of $87,426. On the other hand, senior compliance specialists are paid more in the health care industry with an average salary of $89,434.The education levels that lead auditors earn slightly differ from senior compliance specialists. In particular, lead auditors are 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a senior compliance specialist. Additionally, they're 4.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Senior compliance specialist vs. Compliance officer

A compliance officer is responsible for monitoring company operations, ensuring that all the processes and members are adhering to the regulatory and procedural policies set by the company. Compliance officers' duties also include proposing compliance programs, reviewing and updating existing company policies with management approval, taking immediate actions for policy violations, and mitigating risks. A compliance officer must have extensive knowledge of legal procedures and regulatory standards to manage and evaluate problems, providing meaningful solutions, and keep the company's positive reputation.

On average, compliance officers earn a $7,323 lower salary than senior compliance specialists a year.A few skills overlap for senior compliance specialists and compliance officers. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "risk assessments," "regulatory compliance," and "regulatory agencies. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that senior compliance specialist responsibilities requires skills like "eeo," "iso," "qa," and "continuous improvement." But a compliance officer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "oversight," "risk management," "excellent project management," and "powerpoint."

Compliance officers may earn a lower salary than senior compliance specialists, but compliance officers earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $73,510. On the other hand, senior compliance specialists receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $89,434.compliance officers earn similar levels of education than senior compliance specialists in general. They're 1.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 4.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Senior compliance specialist vs. Compliance manager

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.

On average, compliance managers earn higher salaries than senior compliance specialists, with a $23,749 difference per year.By looking over several senior compliance specialists and compliance managers resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "risk assessments," "regulatory compliance," and "regulatory agencies." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, senior compliance specialists are more likely to have skills like "eeo," "continuous improvement," "cfr," and "sme." But a compliance manager is more likely to have skills like "oversight," "risk management," "customer service," and "strong analytical."

Compliance managers earn the best pay in the finance industry, where they command an average salary of $102,101. Senior compliance specialists earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $89,434.Most compliance managers achieve a similar degree level compared to senior compliance specialists. For example, they're 2.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Senior compliance specialist vs. Specialist

Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.

Specialists average a lower salary than the annual salary of senior compliance specialists. The difference is about $13,368 per year.According to resumes from senior compliance specialists and specialists, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "hipaa," "qa," and "federal regulations. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A senior compliance specialist uses "risk assessments," "regulatory compliance," "regulatory agencies," and "internal audit." Specialists are more likely to have duties that require skills in "patients," "customer service," "work ethic," and "patient care. "In general, specialists hold similar degree levels compared to senior compliance specialists. Specialists are 4.5% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 4.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of senior compliance specialist

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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