Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Compliance Trainer

🎯 Role Definition

A Compliance Trainer designs, develops, delivers, and measures regulatory and policy training programs that reduce organizational risk and ensure employees meet legal, regulatory, and internal policy requirements. The Compliance Trainer partners with Compliance, Legal, HR, Risk, and business leaders to translate emerging regulations into practical learning solutions, maintain training records in LMS systems, and drive measurable improvements in compliance behavior and audit readiness.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Compliance Analyst (with training responsibilities)
Learning & Development Specialist or Instructional Designer
Regulatory Affairs Coordinator or Risk Analyst

Advancement To:

Compliance Training Manager / Manager, Compliance Education
Head of Compliance Learning & Development
Director of Compliance or Director of Risk & Compliance Training

Lateral Moves:

Learning & Development Manager (corporate training)
Risk Manager / Regulatory Program Manager
Policy & Governance Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, develop, and maintain a comprehensive, role-based compliance training curriculum (instructor-led, virtual, microlearning, and e-learning modules) that aligns with regulatory obligations such as GDPR, HIPAA, FCPA, AML, SOX, and industry-specific standards.
Conduct training needs assessments and gap analyses across business units to prioritize compliance learning initiatives, define learning objectives, and tailor content for different risk profiles and job families.
Create engaging, accessible e-learning content using authoring tools (e.g., Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate) and ensure modules are SCORM/xAPI-compliant for LMS integration and cross-platform tracking.
Deliver live instructor-led and virtual classroom training sessions for employees, managers, and executives, using adult learning principles and interactive facilitation techniques to increase retention and behavioral change.
Build and maintain training workflows, curricula, and certification paths within the Learning Management System (LMS) — administer enrollments, completions, recertifications, and remediation workflows.
Collaborate with Legal, Compliance, Privacy, and Business SMEs to translate regulatory changes and policy updates into practical, auditable training materials and job aids.
Develop assessments, quizzes, and simulated scenarios to validate learning outcomes, measure competency, and identify high-risk populations for targeted remediation or coaching.
Track, analyze, and report training program metrics and KPIs (completion rates, assessment scores, time-to-compliance, remediation rates) to Compliance leadership and Audit, and use data to drive continuous improvement.
Maintain complete, audit-ready training records and documentation to support internal and external audits, regulatory examinations, and compliance attestations.
Manage cross-functional projects to roll out companywide compliance campaigns (e.g., anti-bribery, information security, data privacy), including timelines, stakeholder communications, and post-launch evaluation.
Provide one-on-one coaching and briefing sessions for people leaders on their training responsibilities, escalation procedures, and strategies to reinforce compliant behaviors in day-to-day operations.
Design and execute onboarding and new-hire compliance training programs that establish baseline expectations for behavior, reporting, and escalation paths.
Operate as a subject-matter expert for compliance learning standards and best practices, proactively monitoring regulatory developments and recommending curriculum updates to stay current with laws and industry guidance.
Partner with Talent, HRIS, and IT teams to integrate compliance curricula with role changes, promotions, and system access provisioning to ensure training is tied to permissions and risk exposure.
Run tabletop exercises and scenario-based workshops that simulate incidents, investigations, and response protocols to strengthen operational readiness and policy comprehension.
Implement continuous improvement cycles for learning content — conduct A/B testing, learner surveys, microlearning refreshes, and modular updates to maximize engagement and minimize training fatigue.
Manage external vendors and contractors for content development, translation, localization, and LMS services, ensuring deliverables meet quality, budgetary, and regulatory requirements.
Create clear, persuasive internal communications and learning campaigns (email nudges, intranet pages, manager toolkits) to increase training uptake and compliance awareness organization-wide.
Ensure training content adheres to accessibility standards (WCAG), corporate branding, and privacy requirements; coordinate translations and localization for global audiences as needed.
Support incident, investigation, and remediation teams by providing targeted training modules, documentation of training completion, and post-incident training to prevent recurrence.
Maintain and update standard operating procedures (SOPs), job aids, facilitator guides, and evaluation rubrics to ensure consistent delivery and objective measurement of learning outcomes.
Prepare executive-level summaries and dashboards for senior leaders and audit committees that synthesize training impact on risk exposure, compliance posture, and areas requiring investment.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Provide subject matter expertise during internal audits and support follow-up training remediation items.
Maintain a library of compliance training artifacts and historical versions for governance and knowledge retention.
Assist in budgeting and resource planning for annual compliance training initiatives and vendor contracts.
Support global rollouts by coordinating regional stakeholders, regulatory nuances, and timing for localized training releases.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Learning Management Systems (LMS) administration and reporting (e.g., Cornerstone, Workday Learning, SAP SuccessFactors, TalentLMS) — setup, enrollment, completion tracking, and audit exports.
Instructional design and curriculum development using ADDIE, SAM, or other adult learning frameworks.
E-learning authoring tools: Articulate Storyline, Rise 360, Adobe Captivate, or similar.
SCORM, xAPI (Tin Can), and content packaging for LMS compatibility and learning analytics.
Familiarity with compliance frameworks and regulations: GDPR, HIPAA, FCPA, AML/KYC, SOX, FINRA, PCI-DSS — and ability to translate into training content.
Assessment design and validation: creating tests, scenario-based assessments, and rubric-based evaluations to measure competency and behavior change.
Data analysis and reporting: Excel (advanced), Power BI, Tableau, or LMS analytics for KPI dashboards and ROI measurement.
Project management: managing multi-stakeholder training programs, timelines, vendor deliverables, and resource allocation.
Content localization and translation workflows, with sensitivity to regional regulatory differences.
Knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG) and techniques for creating accessible learning materials.
Basic understanding of HR systems and integration points (HRIS, SSO, provisioning) to trigger role-based training.
Training quality assurance and version control processes, including document control for audit readiness.

Soft Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication skills for delivering training, writing policies, and producing executive summaries.
Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills to partner with Compliance, Legal, HR, IT, and business leaders.
Facilitation and presentation skills with the ability to engage diverse audiences and senior leaders.
Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills and the ability to maintain audit-ready documentation.
Analytical mindset and curiosity to use data to diagnose learning gaps and measure program effectiveness.
Coaching and mentoring skills to upskill managers and frontline staff on compliance responsibilities.
Adaptability and resilience in fast-changing regulatory environments and competing priorities.
Problem-solving orientation and initiative to design practical, business-aligned learning solutions.
Cultural sensitivity and collaboration skills to work across global teams and localize training appropriately.
Time management and prioritization skills to manage multiple learning initiatives and deadlines.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Education, Instructional Design, Business Administration, Compliance, Legal Studies, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in a related field (e.g., M.Ed., MBA, Master’s in Compliance or Regulatory Affairs) or advanced certifications such as CCEP (Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional), CIPM, CIS, SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP, or ATD CPLP.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Human Resources / Organizational Development
Instructional Design / Adult Learning
Law / Regulatory Affairs / Compliance
Business Administration / Risk Management
Information Security / Privacy

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–7 years of progressive experience in compliance training, learning & development, or a regulatory training role.

Preferred:

5+ years designing and delivering compliance or regulatory training in highly regulated industries (financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, government, or technology).
Demonstrated experience managing an LMS, developing e-learning content, and supporting audits or regulatory examinations.
Experience working with cross-functional teams, senior stakeholders, and external vendors to deliver enterprise-wide learning programs.
Prior experience with policy development, risk assessments, and translating legal/regulatory requirements into practical training solutions.