Governance and Compliance Manager

Career Guide

A Governance and Compliance Manager builds and runs programs that help an organization meet legal, regulatory, and internal policy requirements. The role reduces risk, strengthens accountability, and ensures controls, audits, and reporting are consistent across teams.

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Key Responsibilities

Design and maintain governance policies, standards, and procedures
Lead compliance risk assessments and prioritize remediation plans
Build and monitor internal controls and compliance testing schedules
Coordinate internal audits and support external regulatory reviews
Track regulatory changes and translate them into actionable requirements
Create training and awareness programs for employees and leaders
Investigate incidents, document findings, and manage corrective actions
Report compliance metrics and key risks to senior leadership and boards
Manage third party compliance due diligence and ongoing monitoring
Partner with Legal, Security, HR, and Operations to embed compliance in processes

Top Skills for Success

Regulatory Knowledge

Policy Development

Risk Assessment

Internal Controls Design

Audit Management

Third Party Risk Management

Incident Management

Stakeholder Management

Clear Writing

Training Facilitation

Data Literacy

Program Management

Career Progression

Can Lead To

Senior Governance and Compliance Manager

Head of Governance

Director of Compliance

Director of Risk Management

Director of Internal Audit

Chief Compliance Officer

Transition Opportunities

Data Privacy Manager

Security Governance Manager

Enterprise Risk Manager

Ethics and Investigations Manager

Regulatory Affairs Manager

Operational Risk Manager

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills

Controls TestingEvidence CollectionRegulatory ReportingThird Party Due DiligenceCompliance MetricsRoot Cause AnalysisBoard Level CommunicationChange Management

Development SuggestionsBuild a repeatable compliance calendar, practice writing clear control narratives, and lead one end to end remediation effort with measurable outcomes. Ask to co lead an audit or regulatory exam workstream to strengthen evidence and reporting skills.

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range

Entry LevelUS 85000 to 115000

Mid LevelUS 115000 to 155000

Senior LevelUS 155000 to 210000

Growth Trend

Strong and steady demand, driven by rising regulatory expectations, data privacy requirements, third party risk, and increased board oversight.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers

JPMorgan ChaseBank of AmericaWells FargoUnitedHealth GroupCVS HealthKaiser PermanenteAmazonMicrosoftGoogleDeloittePwCAccentureExxonMobilShellLockheed Martin

Industry Sectors

Financial ServicesHealthcareTechnologyConsultingInsuranceEnergyGovernment ContractingManufacturing

Recommended Next Steps

Choose a target domain such as financial compliance, healthcare compliance, privacy, or security governance

Create a portfolio of two to three artifacts such as a policy, a risk assessment, and a controls test plan

Run a gap assessment against one framework used in your industry and document a prioritized remediation roadmap

Build a simple compliance dashboard with a small set of leading and lagging indicators

Strengthen stakeholder communication by presenting quarterly compliance updates to senior leaders

Pursue a relevant certification aligned to your domain and local requirements

Network with compliance leaders in your industry and request informational interviews focused on hiring expectations