Compliance Administrator Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a compliance administrator. You can use our job description template in this article to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a compliance administrator.
Who is a Compliance Administrator?
A compliance administrator is a professional responsible for ensuring that an organization complies with applicable laws, regulations, and policies. They are also called compliance officers. They may be responsible for developing, monitoring, and enforcing policies and procedures, as well as training and conducting compliance audits of personnel.
Compliance administrators are required to work with their employer, management, and staff to identify and manage regulatory risks. Their job is to ensure that the organization has internal controls to adequately assess and manage the risks it faces. compliance administrators provide an internal service that effectively supports business units in their responsibility to comply with relevant laws, regulations, and internal procedures. Typically, the compliance administrator is the company’s general counsel, but not always.
The compliance administrator’s responsibilities may also include reviewing and setting standards for external communications by requiring disclaimers in emails or checking the accessibility and security of premises. compliance administrators may also develop or update internal policies to reduce the risk of the company violating laws and regulations and conduct internal audits of procedures.
The compliance administrator must know the business and understand where potential regulatory violations may occur. It is essential that the compliance administrator effectively communicates the company’s key ethical principles and regulatory requirements to employees. Compliance administrators provide regular training to employees to communicate key regulatory changes and updates. This is especially important in a highly regulated environment where changes are constant. The compliance administrator should work with business units and management to ensure that appropriate contingency plans are in place and that they establish guidelines for responding to a potential regulatory violation.
In the event of a compliance violation, the compliance administrator must provide for appropriate disciplinary action to prevent future violations. It is the responsibility of the compliance administrator to ensure that compliance procedures are monitored and reviewed on an ongoing basis to identify potential areas for improvement.
Compliance administrators are expected to have an objective view of the company’s policies. Influencing other employees, including supervisors and managers, to ignore violations can result in significant fines or penalties, which can result in financial losses or even the closure of the company. Large companies typically have a Chief compliance administrator (CCO) who manages compliance activities. compliance administrators play an active role in managing corporate risk and reducing financial crime.
Compliance Administrator Job Description
Below are the compliance administrator job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a compliance administrator include the following:
- Reviewing applications for new insurance policies for compliance with state laws.
- Creating training materials and conducting compliance training for staff.
- Reviewing claims, benefits, and settlement reports for compliance with policy or procedure.
- Investigating complaints to determine if state laws or regulations have been violated.
- Interviewing customers to gather information about their claims to process them accurately and efficiently.
- Reviewing applications for new insurance policies for compliance with state laws and regulations.
- Auditing accounts to identify any unusual activity that may indicate fraud or abuse of the system.
- Coordinating with outside agencies, such as the State Department of Insurance or the Attorney General’s Office, to handle complex cases or investigate serious wrongdoing.
- Investigating claims to determine if they are valid or fraudulent.
- Conducting risk assessments to understand the level, significance, and magnitude of risk
- Knowing and understanding relevant laws and regulations
- Monitoring compliance with laws, regulations, and internal policies
- Managing voluntary best practices in professional standards
- Recording and following up with management to correct identified problems
- Educating employees not only on the rules but also on the consequences to the organization for non-compliance.
- Investigating irregularities and compliance issues
- Reporting to business functions on current risk and compliance performance
- Helping to ensure strong and effective compliance controls within the organization.
- Analyzing marketing materials, presentations, and websites for compliance
- Assisting in the collection of internal information in response to requests from regulatory agencies
- Performing a variety of general administrative tasks (e.g., filing and maintaining ongoing administrative projects)
- Working with other departments to establish a culture of compliance.
Qualifications
Compliance administrators should have the following qualifications:
Education
A bachelor’s degree is often required to become an administrator. Some employers prefer that candidates have a master’s degree in business administration or a related field. Relevant courses include ethics, business law, accounting, economics, statistics, and business communication.
Education and Experience
Compliance administrators typically receive on-the-job training. They may shadow a senior administrator or compliance administrator to become familiar with company policies and procedures. They may also receive training in the use of the company’s software and databases.
Certification and Licenses
Certification allows professionals to prove their qualifications to current and future employers. Compliance administrators can obtain certifications to gain more theoretical knowledge of their duties, test their professional skills, and advance their careers.
Essential Skills
- Communication
Communication is the ability to convey information in a way that others can understand. As a compliance administrator, you may be required to communicate with employees and managers about company policies or regulations. You may also be responsible for informing customers of regulatory developments. Strong communication skills will enable you to convey information clearly and effectively so that everyone understands what is expected of them.
- Organization
Organization is the ability to keep track of files, folders, and other information. As an administrator, you may be responsible for the regulatory requirements of several different agencies. Strong organizational skills will help you handle all your responsibilities and ensure that you submit accurate reports and forms. It is also important to have an organized workspace so you can quickly find the documents or files you need.
- Project Management
Project management skills are important for administrators, as they often oversee projects involving multiple departments and teams. To do this, they must be able to plan, monitor, and evaluate project progress. They must also be able to communicate effectively with their team members so that everyone understands their role in a task or project.
- Data Analysis
Data analysis is the process of examining data to identify trends and patterns. As a compliance administrator, you may be required to analyze large amounts of data to ensure your company complies with regulatory requirements. For example, if an auditor requests information about a particular aspect of your operations, you can use data analysis to determine what types of records you need to keep and where they are located.
- Investigations
The compliance administrator must be able to investigate potential violations of rules and laws. This requires reviewing documents, interviewing employees, and analyzing data to determine if the company complies. You also need to know how to investigate so that it is thorough and unbiased. Examples of investigative skills include the ability to ask open-ended questions in interviews, document your observations and use technology to analyze large amounts of data.
- Risk Management
Risk management is the ability to identify and minimize potential risks. As a compliance administrator, you may be responsible for ensuring that your company follows regulations and laws. This requires identifying any risks associated with noncompliance and developing strategies to mitigate them. For example, if your organization has a high risk of being audited by regulators, you might develop an audit protocol to ensure compliance.
- Problem Solving
Problem-solving is the ability to identify and resolve issues. As a compliance administrator, you may need to solve problems related to regulatory compliance. For example, if an employee submits incorrect information on a form or violates company policy, you might use problem-solving skills to determine how to address the situation. You also use problem-solving skills when addressing technical challenges, such as resolving software bugs or finding solutions for system failures.
- Auditing
Auditing is the process of reviewing and evaluating a company’s financial records to ensure they are accurate. Compliance administrators often perform audits on behalf of their employers, ensuring that companies are following regulations correctly. Auditing skills can help compliance administrators evaluate data and determine if it is correct or if changes need to be made.
- Attention to Detail
Attention to detail is a skill that compliance administrators use in their work. They must be able to notice small details about the documents they review and ensure that all of the information on them is accurate. This ensures that the company’s records are complete, which can help with audits. It also helps compliance administrators identify any issues quickly so they can take action before it becomes a problem for the company.
- Regulatory Filings
Regulatory filing is the process of submitting paperwork to regulatory agencies. This includes filling out forms, providing evidence, and paying fees. Regulatory compliance administrators often have to file for their company’s licenses or permits. They also need to ensure that employees are following regulations correctly so they can submit the correct information.
How to become a Compliance Administrator
- Consider an industry specialization
A compliance administrator may work in an industry that requires compliance, such as accounting, government, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare. The specialist may also specialize in specific departments, including environmental compliance, corporate, and healthcare. Before studying, students should consider their career preferences to ensure that the degree will help them choose the right career path and become successful compliance professionals.
- Earn a Bachelor’s Degree
Undergraduate students can take about 60 credits of general education courses. Such as science and math. In addition, 60 credits of required and elective courses related to the compliance industry. The joint degree you can earn to become a compliance specialist includes statistics, finance, accounting, management, and economics.
Degrees for students wishing to specialize in the compliance field include business, health, civil and criminal justice, and environmental engineering. It will take four years of full-time study to earn a bachelor’s degree and become a potential candidate for this position.
- Find work experience and internships
To become a compliance administrator, you’ll need a lot of work experience, which you can gain through internships and improve your resume. Through internships, students gain valuable skills and knowledge and apply what they learn in the classroom in a real-world setting. College students seek internship experiences during their junior and senior years.
These internships can take place in the summer and last for a semester, spring or fall. The immense experience students gain during internships makes them more productive in the workplace.
- Get Certified
You can work as a compliance administrator without certification, but having a certification demonstrates your competence to potential employers. Certification procedures and eligibility requirements vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Obtaining a certification can take anywhere from a few months to several years, depending on the qualifications required.
- Consider a Master’s Degree
A bachelor’s degree can help you meet the minimum educational requirements to become a compliance administrator in an organization. A master’s degree will allow you to advance to leadership and management positions in the compliance field. A master’s degree requires two full years of study, or even more if you take courses part-time. Don’t miss out on this training to gain the skills that will help you achieve your career goals.
- Familiarize yourself with federal and state legislation
Before applying for the compliance administrator position, familiarize yourself with state and federal laws. You can find this information on the U.S. Department of Human Resources website or your state government website. Use your knowledge and show your understanding of state and federal law in your cover letter.
- Apply for a job
After you graduate and get the necessary training and work experience, you apply for a job. Write a resume, including your academic qualifications and years of experience, and show potential employers why you are a good candidate for this compliance administrator position. Include a cover letter with your contact information and describe how you plan to use your extensive skills and knowledge to improve the organization.
Where to work as a Compliance Administrator
The work environment for compliance administrators is typically office-based, although in some cases travel for training or meetings may be required. Compliance administrators typically work 40 hours per week, but additional hours may be required to meet deadlines or attend meetings in the evening or on weekends. The job can be stressful at times, as administrators must keep abreast of changes in legislation and ensure that their company complies with all applicable regulations.
Compliance Administrator Salary Scale
The median annual salary for compliance administrators in the United States is $50,653, while the median annual salary for those in Canada is $73,102. In the United Kingdom, salaries for compliance administrators can range from £18,999 to £24,999, depending on experience and location.