Regulatory Affairs Specialists

Employers

Regulatory affairs specialists work in many different industries, including aerospace and defense, biotechnology, business services, construction, education, government, energy and utilities, financial services, health care, hospitality, insurance, manufacturing durable and nondurable, pharmaceuticals, retail and wholesale, software, telecom, and transportation. Some specialists work as consultants for legal, research, or marketing firms. There are approximately 403,900 compliance officers, including regulatory affairs specialists, employed in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Starting Out

Regulatory affairs specialists may start in this career as regulatory affairs associates or break into the field via an internship. They receive on-the-job training that may last several months or up to one year or longer. Ask your school's career services office for help with the job search. You may also find job postings on professional associations' Web sites, such as the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (https://www.raps.org/careers), and on employment Web sites such as Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn, and SimplyHired.