Employers

Compliance professionals are employed by major banks, broker/dealers, regional and boutique firms, robo advisory firms, and independent wealth managers. They also work for law firms that provide compliance services to WM firms. There are thousands of wealth management businesses in the United States.

Opportunities in compliance are available in many other industries, including in telecommunications, health care, banking, higher education, oil and gas extraction, and pharmaceuticals. Compliance workers are also employed by government agencies such as the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Starting Out

Participating in an internship is a good way to break into the field if you lack work experience. Many large banks and investment firms have internship programs. If participating in an internship doesn’t lead to a job, try to land a job in the operations department of a bank or in positions that deal with anti-money laundering and due diligence controls. Employers like to hire people who have hands-on experience and knowledge of issues that affect their operations. Wealth management firms also seek out applicants who have experience with regulators such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Reserve, Office of the Comptroller of Currency, as well as state regulatory agencies.

Other job-search strategies include applying to WM firms directly, using the resources of your college’s career services office, working with a recruiter (such as the Compliance Search Group), and networking online and at in-person events (many of which are sponsored by professional associations).  

After a few years of experience, a compliance analyst can advance to the position of senior compliance analyst, and then gradually be promoted to higher-level positions such as compliance officer, compliance director, and chief compliance officer. As they advance, compliance professionals receive salary increases and performance bonuses. Top performers may be asked to become partners in their firms. 

Visit the following Web sites for job listings: 

• https://www.corporatecompliance.org/all-jobs
• https://www.efinancialcareers.com
• https://www.pionline.com/careers
• https://wecruitr.jobs

Participate in a compliance-related internship to learn more about the field and build your network. Visit https://www.corporatecompliance.org/all-jobs and https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/compliance-intern-jobs for internship listings.

Attend the American Bankers Association Regulatory Compliance Conference (https://www.aba.com/training-events/conferences/regulatory-compliance-conference) to take advantage of a variety of professional development opportunities and to build your network.

Visit https://news.efinancialcareers.com/us-en/140343/how-to-get-a-job-in-compliance to read “How to Get a Job in Compliance With Little or No Experience.”