Compliance Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization to ensure compliance with ethical or regulatory standards.
Compliance Managers plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization to ensure compliance with ethical or regulatory standards. The role reports a median annual salary of $136,550 in the US and is projected to grow 4% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.57 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include radioactive contamination, hazardous materials transportation, waste management, hazardous waste treatment, hazardous waste types.
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Managers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Compliance Managers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 1. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Law and Government
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Customer and Personal Service
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Computers and Electronics
- Education and Training
- Administrative
A day in the life
You start the morning reading overnight alerts from the ethics hotline and a summary of new rules published by a regulator that affect your company. One report describes a manager pressuring staff to skip safety checks, so you open an investigation and arrange confidential interviews. Mid-morning you meet the leadership team to explain the new rules, what must change and by when. You then work with the legal team on a tricky question about data sharing with a partner, weighing the risks carefully. After lunch you prepare and file a required compliance report with a regulatory agency, checking every figure and attachment. Later you update the log of complaints received and investigation outcomes, and plan short training sessions so employees understand their obligations. When an investigation confirms a serious breach, you report it to the proper authority. The role can make you unpopular, but protecting the organisation and its people from harm is essential work.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Report violations of compliance or regulatory standards to duly authorized enforcement agencies as appropriate or required.
- Identify compliance issues that require follow-up or investigation.
- Discuss emerging compliance issues to ensure that management and employees are informed about compliance reporting systems, policies, and practices.
- File appropriate compliance reports with regulatory agencies.
- Maintain documentation of compliance activities, such as complaints received or investigation outcomes.
- Consult with corporate attorneys as necessary to address difficult legal compliance issues.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Compliance Managers do?
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization to ensure compliance with ethical or regulatory standards.
What does a typical day look like in Compliance Managers?
You start the morning reading overnight alerts from the ethics hotline and a summary of new rules published by a regulator that affect your company. One report describes a manager pressuring staff to skip safety checks, so you open an investigation and arrange confidential interviews. Mid-morning you meet the leadership team to explain the new rules, what must change and by when.
How much does Compliance Managers earn?
The median annual salary for Compliance Managers in the US is $136,550.
What is the job outlook for Compliance Managers?
The role is projected to grow 4% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 1,333,700 workers.
How do I become compliance managers?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Compliance Managers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include radioactive contamination, hazardous materials transportation, waste management, hazardous waste treatment, hazardous waste types, pollution prevention. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Compliance Managers?
Our AI-durability model gives Compliance Managers a score of 0.57 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Compliance Managers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.