Chief Risk and Compliance Officer

Career Guide

A Chief Risk and Compliance Officer leads the organization’s approach to managing risk and meeting legal and ethical obligations. The role sets policy, builds strong controls, advises the executive team and board, and ensures the company can grow while staying within accepted risk levels.

Browse All Roles

Key Responsibilities

Set the company risk and compliance strategy and priorities
Advise the CEO and board on major risk exposures and compliance matters
Build and maintain enterprise risk management practices
Oversee regulatory compliance programs and reporting
Design and enforce policies, standards, and codes of conduct
Lead investigations into misconduct and compliance breaches
Partner with legal to manage regulatory inquiries and examinations
Oversee internal controls and coordinate with internal audit
Own third party risk oversight for vendors and partners
Run risk assessments for new products, markets, and acquisitions
Deliver compliance training and communications
Track remediation plans and confirm issues are fixed and sustained
Lead crisis response planning for high impact risk events
Manage the risk and compliance team, budget, and tools

Top Skills for Success

Executive Communication

Stakeholder Management

Decision Making

Negotiation

Ethical Judgment

Program Leadership

Regulatory Knowledge

Corporate Governance

Risk Assessment

Policy Development

Control Design

Incident Management

Third Party Risk Management

Compliance Monitoring

Data Privacy

Cyber Risk Awareness

Reporting and Metrics

Career Progression

Can Lead To

Chief Risk and Compliance Officer

Chief Compliance Officer

Chief Risk Officer

Transition Opportunities

Chief Legal Officer

General Counsel

Chief Operating Officer

Chief Executive Officer

Board Member

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills

Board Level ReportingRisk Appetite SettingRegulatory Examination ReadinessControls Testing OversightThird Party Risk GovernanceData Privacy Program LeadershipCross Border Compliance ManagementRemediation Program ManagementRisk Technology Selection

Development SuggestionsBuild experience presenting to a board or audit committee, lead at least one enterprise wide risk assessment cycle, and own a major remediation effort from discovery through sustained testing. Strengthen credibility by partnering closely with legal, internal audit, security, and finance, and by developing clear metrics that show risk reduction over time.

Market Intelligence Report

Chief Risk and Compliance Officer is part of the Risk Management category.Explore our market intelligence report to see how AI and hiring demand are shifting for these roles.

See the market intelligence report

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range

Entry LevelRare title at entry level; typical pathway begins at Director level

Mid LevelUSD 220,000 to 350,000 base pay, plus bonus and equity depending on industry and company size

Senior LevelUSD 350,000 to 600,000 plus bonus and equity, with higher totals in financial services and large public companies

Growth Trend

Strong and steady demand, driven by stricter regulation, expanding data privacy requirements, cyber risk, and higher expectations from boards and regulators.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers

JPMorgan ChaseBank of AmericaCitigroupGoldman SachsMorgan StanleyWells FargoUnitedHealth GroupCVS HealthPfizerJohnson and JohnsonAmazonGoogleMicrosoftMetaWalmartTargetExxonMobilChevronBoeingLockheed Martin

Industry Sectors

BankingInsuranceAsset ManagementHealthcare ProvidersPharmaceuticalsMedical DevicesTechnologyEcommerceRetailManufacturingEnergyAerospace and DefenseTelecommunicationsTransportationConsumer Goods

Recommended Next Steps

Map the top ten risks for your organization and identify ownership, controls, and gaps

Create a simple risk dashboard with key metrics, trends, and remediation status

Review and refresh the code of conduct, core policies, and training plan

Run a tabletop exercise for a high impact scenario such as data breach or fraud

Assess third party risk coverage across onboarding, monitoring, and offboarding

Perform a compliance program gap review against current regulatory expectations

Define a clear escalation process for incidents and whistleblower reports

Strengthen partnerships with internal audit, legal, security, and finance

Benchmark compensation and reporting lines against peer organizations

Document a one year roadmap with measurable outcomes and resourcing needs