Compliance Managers

Compliance managers work at federal, state, and local agencies; financial institutions; health care organizations; and in other industries, making sure that companies comply with laws and standards. They review practices to make sure they align with internal standards as well as external regulations. They are responsible for knowing the current laws and changes to those laws that affect the companies. They are also responsible for sharing knowledge about corporate laws and standards with their company's employees, executives, and board of directors.

Compliance management tasks include recording and maintaining documentation of all activities related to compliance, such as complaints about compliance issues and investigation findings. Compliance managers conduct and/or oversee internal investigations concerning issues of compliance. They review the outcomes of these investigations, share this information with their company's upper management, and file compliance reports with regulatory agencies. When they identify compliance violations, they report them to the appropriate enforcement agencies. The job requires keen attention to detail, strong knowledge of government and industry laws and regulations, and the ability to communicate complex information in ways people will understand.

Compliance managers spend a great deal of time on computers, studying data, creating reports, and e-mailing with compliance team members and other company employees. The work requires knowledge of analytic/scientific, compliance, and project management software.