Director of Enterprise Risk and Compliance

Career Guide

A Director of Enterprise Risk and Compliance leads an organization-wide program to identify key risks, ensure compliance with laws and internal policies, and strengthen governance. The role partners with executives and business leaders to reduce avoidable losses, improve decision-making, and build trust with customers, regulators, and the board.

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Key Responsibilities

Set the enterprise risk and compliance strategy aligned to business goals
Build and maintain the risk register and risk reporting cadence
Lead risk assessments across business units and critical processes
Design and oversee compliance programs, policies, and standards
Monitor changes in regulations and translate them into practical actions
Run internal control programs and coordinate control testing
Oversee incident management and root cause analysis for compliance issues
Lead remediation planning and track corrective actions to closure
Prepare executive and board-level updates on risk exposure and trends
Partner with Internal Audit, Legal, Security, and Finance on assurance activities
Manage vendor and third-party risk processes
Build and coach a team of risk and compliance professionals

Top Skills for Success

Executive Communication

Stakeholder Management

Program Management

Change Management

Risk Assessment

Risk Reporting

Control Design

Control Testing

Policy Development

Compliance Monitoring

Regulatory Interpretation

Third-party Risk Management

Incident Management

Data Literacy

Career Progression

Can Lead To

Vice President of Risk and Compliance

Chief Risk Officer

Chief Compliance Officer

Head of Governance Risk and Compliance

Chief Audit Executive

Transition Opportunities

Director of Internal Audit

Director of Privacy

Director of Information Security Governance

Director of Business Continuity

Head of Operational Resilience

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills

Board ReportingMetrics DesignThird-party Risk ManagementRegulatory Change ManagementControl AutomationCrisis ManagementData LiteracyPeople Leadership

Development SuggestionsBuild a repeatable risk reporting pack with clear metrics and trends, practice executive storytelling, and run at least one full end-to-end program cycle covering assessment, controls, testing, and remediation. Deepen knowledge in the regulations most relevant to your industry and strengthen third-party risk processes with consistent reviews and follow-ups.

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range

Entry LevelUSD 140,000 to 180,000

Mid LevelUSD 180,000 to 240,000

Senior LevelUSD 240,000 to 330,000

Growth Trend

Demand remains strong, driven by increased regulatory scrutiny, cybersecurity and privacy expectations, third-party risk, and board focus on risk governance.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers

JPMorgan ChaseBank of AmericaWells FargoCitigroupGoldman SachsUnitedHealth GroupCVS HealthAnthemPfizerJohnson and JohnsonAmazonMicrosoftGoogleSalesforceWalmart

Industry Sectors

BankingInsuranceHealthcarePharmaceuticalsTechnologyRetailManufacturingEnergyTelecommunications

Recommended Next Steps

Create a one-page enterprise risk and compliance strategy with priorities for the next 12 months

Standardize a risk assessment method and roll it out to two high-impact business areas

Define a small set of risk metrics and launch a monthly leadership dashboard

Review and refresh core policies to improve clarity and enforceability

Run a third-party risk review for critical vendors and close the highest-risk gaps

Practice board-ready communication by writing a quarterly risk update in plain language

Strengthen cross-functional partnerships with Legal, Security, Finance, and Internal Audit

Identify one high-risk control area and implement automation to reduce manual effort