Compliance Officers

What Compliance Officers Do

Examine, evaluate, and investigate eligibility for or conformity with laws and regulations governing contract compliance of licenses and permits, and perform other compliance and enforcement inspection and analysis activities not classified elsewhere.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

Moderate-term on-the-job training

Self-employed

0.4%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Law and Governmentimportance 4.1/5
• English Languageimportance 4.0/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.9/5
• Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.4/5
• Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.2/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 3.1/5
• Administrativeimportance 3.1/5
• Education and Trainingimportance 3.0/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Contact With Others4.8/5
• Deal With External Customers or the Public in General4.8/5
• Telephone Conversations4.5/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.5/5
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.5/5
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.4/5

Related Careers

• Managers, All Other
• Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs
• Paralegals and Legal Assistants
• Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators
• Court, Municipal, and License Clerks
• Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers
• Management Analysts
• Private Detectives and Investigators

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Community Health Workers99% skill match
• Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers98% skill match
• Animal Control Workers98% skill match
• Emergency Medicine Physicians98% skill match
• Fire Inspectors and Investigators98% skill match
• Tellers98% skill match
• Real Estate Sales Agents97% skill match
• Psychiatric Aides97% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.6/5
• Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.5/5
• Persuasionimportance 3.3/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.3/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.3/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.1/5
• Negotiationimportance 3.1/5
• Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Integrity
• Dependability
• Attention to Detail
• Cautiousness
• Self-Control
• Perseverance
• Stress Tolerance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• ConventionalHigh
• EnterprisingMedium
• InvestigativeMedium
• SocialLow
• RealisticLow
• ArtisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where compliance officers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Eagle Pass, TX7.32× national avg
2. 2Brunswick-St. Simons, GA5.36× national avg
3. 3Laredo, TX4.90× national avg
4. 4El Centro, CA4.81× national avg
5. 5Burlington-South Burlington, VT4.48× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment SpecialistsCareer Change
• Occupational Therapy AssistantsCareer Change
• Emergency Medicine PhysiciansCareer Change
• News Analysts, Reporters, and JournalistsCareer Change

See the full career path from Compliance Officers →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.