What skills should a Compliance Manager put on a resume?

O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, and Writing among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Compliance Manager list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes 80-20 Software Leaders4, Actimize Brokerage Compliance Solutions, Adobe Acrobat, Agiliance Compliance Manager, and Aline GRC. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Compliance Manager work?

O*NET records 28 titles for this occupation, including Compliance Director, Environmental Manager, Environmental Program Manager, and Accreditation Lieutenant. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Compliance Manager need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 63% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Compliance Manager role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Compliance Manager resume example

A resume for a Compliance Manager needs to show the work itself: plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization to ensure compliance with ethical or regulatory standards. Day to day that means work like this: report violations of compliance or regulatory standards to duly authorized enforcement agencies as appropriate or required; identify compliance issues that require follow-up or investigation. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Compliance Director
Environmental Manager
Environmental Program Manager
Accreditation Lieutenant
Accreditation Manager
Compliance Operations Manager
Environmental Health and Safety Director
Health, Safety, and Environmental Manager
HSE Manager
Risk Manager
AML Compliance Manager
GCR Manager
Anti Money Laundering Compliance Manager
Audit Manager
Compliance Audit Manager
Compliance Coordinator
Compliance Professional
Compliance Program Manager

O*NET records 28 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Report violations of compliance or regulatory standards to duly authorized enforcement agencies as appropriate or required.
Identify compliance issues that require follow-up or investigation.
Discuss emerging compliance issues to ensure that management and employees are informed about compliance reporting systems, policies, and practices.
File appropriate compliance reports with regulatory agencies.
Maintain documentation of compliance activities, such as complaints received or investigation outcomes.
Consult with corporate attorneys as necessary to address difficult legal compliance issues.
Conduct or direct the internal investigation of compliance issues.
Provide employee training on compliance related topics, policies, or procedures.
Serve as a confidential point of contact for employees to communicate with management, seek clarification on issues or dilemmas, or report irregularities.
Verify that all regulatory policies and procedures have been documented, implemented, and communicated.
Disseminate written policies and procedures related to compliance activities.
Prepare management reports regarding compliance operations and progress.

29 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Report violations of compliance or regulatory standards to duly authorized enforcement agencies as appropriate or required, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Identify compliance issues that require follow-up or investigation, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Discuss emerging compliance issues to ensure that management and employees are informed about compliance reporting systems, policies, and practices, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
File appropriate compliance reports with regulatory agencies, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

80-20 Software Leaders4
Actimize Brokerage Compliance Solutions
Adobe Acrobat
Agiliance Compliance Manager
Aline GRC
Apple Safari
ARC Logics Sword
Archer Compliance Management
AssurX CATSWeb
AssurX Financial Services Compliance Management System
Audit2 AdaptiveGRC
Axentis Compliance Management
BPS Compliance
BWise Compliance Management

78 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Computer laser printers
Desktop computers
Laptop computers
Laser facsimile machines
Multi-line telephone systems
Personal computers
Photocopying equipment

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

80-20 Software Leaders4
Actimize Brokerage Compliance Solutions

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Critical Thinking
02Reading Comprehension
03Active Listening
04Speaking
05Writing
06Active Learning
07Coordination
08Monitoring
09Persuasion
10Judgment and Decision Making

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Law and Government
English Language
Administration and Management
Customer and Personal Service
Personnel and Human Resources
Computers and Electronics
Education and Training
Administrative

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

63%Bachelor's Degree
14%Master's Degree
9%High School Diploma, or the equivalent

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Considerable Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Common questions

What does a Compliance Manager do?: Plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization to ensure compliance with ethical or regulatory standards. Day to day that includes work like report violations of compliance or regulatory standards to duly authorized enforcement agencies as appropriate or required and Identify compliance issues that require follow-up or investigation.
What skills should a Compliance Manager put on a resume?: O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, and Writing among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Compliance Manager list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes 80-20 Software Leaders4, Actimize Brokerage Compliance Solutions, Adobe Acrobat, Agiliance Compliance Manager, and Aline GRC. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Compliance Manager work?: O*NET records 28 titles for this occupation, including Compliance Director, Environmental Manager, Environmental Program Manager, and Accreditation Lieutenant. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Compliance Manager need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 63% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Compliance Manager role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.