Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Regulatory Compliance Analyst

💰 $70,000 - $110,000

ComplianceRiskLegalRegulatoryFinance

🎯 Role Definition

The Regulatory Compliance Analyst is responsible for designing, implementing, monitoring, and continuously improving compliance programs that ensure the organization adheres to applicable laws, regulations and internal policies. This role analyzes regulatory change, performs risk assessments, supports regulatory reporting and exams, and partners with business and technology teams to operationalize controls. The ideal candidate combines subject-matter knowledge (AML/KYC, SOX, GDPR, FCPA, sanctions, consumer protection, financial regulations), strong analytical skills, and the ability to communicate compliance requirements clearly across functions.

Key SEO / LLM keywords: Regulatory Compliance Analyst, compliance monitoring, regulatory change management, AML, KYC, SOX, GDPR, sanctions screening, internal controls, risk assessment, regulatory reporting, compliance program design, audit remediation.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Compliance Specialist / Junior Compliance Analyst
  • Internal Audit Associate
  • Risk Analyst (operations or financial risk)

Advancement To:

  • Senior Regulatory Compliance Analyst
  • Compliance Manager / Compliance Lead
  • Regulatory Affairs Manager
  • Head of Compliance / Chief Compliance Officer (CCO)

Lateral Moves:

  • Risk Management (Operational or Financial Risk)
  • Internal Audit
  • Legal / Regulatory Affairs
  • Data Privacy Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead ongoing monitoring and testing of compliance controls across business processes, documenting test plans, executing testing, and producing clear remediation recommendations to reduce regulatory and operational risk.
  • Perform comprehensive regulatory research and impact analysis for new and changing laws, rules, and guidance (federal, state, international) and translate findings into actionable requirements, policy updates, and control changes.
  • Develop, maintain, and update compliance policies, procedures, and process maps to ensure consistency with legal and regulatory obligations, industry best practices, and the organization’s risk appetite.
  • Execute periodic risk assessments (business unit, product, geographic) to identify compliance gaps, quantify risk exposure, prioritize remediation, and produce executive-level risk reporting and dashboards.
  • Support the design, documentation, and maintenance of internal controls (including SOX controls where applicable), and partner with finance and IT stakeholders on control testing and remediation.
  • Manage regulatory filings and reporting requirements (e.g., regulatory returns, suspicious activity reports, consumer disclosures), ensuring timeliness, accuracy, and auditability.
  • Coordinate and respond to external regulatory examinations and audits; prepare working papers, provide subject matter expertise during onsite reviews, and manage remediation tracking until closure.
  • Lead or participate in onboarding and periodic due diligence for third parties and vendor risk assessments, including KYC, sanctions screening, and contract compliance reviews.
  • Investigate potential compliance incidents, regulatory breaches, or policy violations; perform root cause analysis, produce investigation reports, and recommend corrective actions and process improvements.
  • Create, deliver, and track targeted compliance training and awareness programs for employees and relevant third parties, using role-based curricula and testing to measure effectiveness.
  • Build and maintain compliance monitoring programs using data analytics, automated rule sets, and exception reporting to detect anomalies and escalating risks (including transaction monitoring and screening systems).
  • Collaborate with legal counsel to interpret regulatory guidance and ensure alignment of compliance strategies with litigation, enforcement exposure, and corporate objectives.
  • Maintain a centralized regulatory change log and distribution process; proactively brief business leaders on upcoming deadlines, anticipated impacts, and resourcing needs to achieve compliance implementation.
  • Draft and review consumer-facing disclosures, terms, and policies to ensure regulatory requirements are met and language is clear and defensible.
  • Design and implement remediation plans for audit findings and inspection deficiencies; track remediation progress, validate effectiveness, and report status to senior management and the audit committee as required.
  • Partner with product, engineering and operations teams to embed compliance-by-design into product lifecycles (requirements, design reviews, testing, and launch governance).
  • Reconcile and validate compliance data feeds from multiple systems; work with IT/data teams to improve data quality, lineage, and reporting capabilities for compliance metrics and regulatory reports.
  • Maintain and enhance sanction screening, PEP, and adverse media processes and tools; refine rules and thresholds to reduce false positives while ensuring regulatory coverage.
  • Prepare management reporting, KPI dashboards and trend analysis for senior leadership and board committees covering compliance posture, incidents, controls testing results, and remediation progress.
  • Advise on consumer protection and privacy compliance (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) including data retention, data subject requests, and privacy impact assessments in collaboration with the privacy/data governance teams.
  • Support transactional compliance review for high-risk products or activities, including cross-border transactions, foreign corrupt practices exposure (FCPA), and complex corporate structuring.
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives, including process automation, standardization of controls, and adoption of compliance technologies (GRC platforms, case management, AML transaction monitoring systems).

Secondary Functions

  • Provide subject-matter input to cross-functional project teams and product launches to assess regulatory risk and required mitigating controls.
  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory compliance analytics to answer emerging questions from business partners or auditors.
  • Contribute to the organization's compliance strategy, framework enhancements, and multi-year roadmap aligned with regulatory priorities.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies when working with technology teams to prioritize compliance feature development and bug fixes.
  • Mentor junior compliance analysts with training plans, review of work products, and coaching on investigation and documentation standards.
  • Assist procurement and legal teams with compliance clauses in vendor contracts and monitor vendor remediation of compliance-related issues.
  • Represent the compliance function in internal steering committees, risk forums, and cross-functional governance meetings.
  • Maintain professional relationships with regulators and industry peers to benchmark practices and anticipate regulatory trends.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Regulatory research and interpretation: track record of analyzing statutes, regulatory guidance, and enforcement actions to inform policy and control changes.
  • Risk assessment methodologies: experienced in conducting and documenting enterprise, product, and transaction-level compliance risk assessments.
  • AML/KYC program knowledge: hands-on experience with customer due diligence, enhanced due diligence, transaction monitoring, SAR/STR reporting, and sanctions screening.
  • SOX/internal control experience: familiarity with control design, walkthroughs, testing procedures, and remediation processes.
  • Regulatory reporting and exam preparation: proven ability to prepare regulatory filings, exam responses, and maintain audit-ready documentation.
  • Data analytics for compliance: practical use of SQL, Excel (advanced), Python/R (preferred), or analytics tools to build monitoring rules, sample testing, and trend analysis.
  • GRC and compliance tooling: experience with Governance, Risk & Compliance platforms (e.g., MetricStream, RSA Archer, OneTrust), transaction monitoring systems, case management, and ticketing systems.
  • Privacy & data protection: working knowledge of GDPR/CCPA requirements, data subject request workflows, and privacy impact assessments.
  • Policy and procedure development: strong experience writing, updating, and implementing compliance policies, SOPs, and control narratives.
  • Investigation and remediation: structured approach to investigations, root-cause analysis, corrective action plans, and validation testing.
  • Project management: ability to manage cross-functional projects, track deliverables, and deliver implementation plans on schedule.
  • Regulatory technology implementation: experience supporting vendor selection, configuration, and validation of compliance systems.

Soft Skills

  • Strong written and verbal communication: translate complex regulatory requirements into clear guidance for business partners and executives.
  • Analytical and critical thinking: synthesize data and regulatory guidance to make pragmatic compliance decisions.
  • Attention to detail: meticulous documentation and evidence-based testing to withstand regulatory scrutiny.
  • Stakeholder management: ability to influence without authority and build trusted relationships across legal, finance, operations, and technology teams.
  • Problem solving and judgement: pragmatic decision-making under ambiguity with a focus on business enablement and risk mitigation.
  • Time management and prioritization: handle multiple regulatory projects and deadline-driven tasks effectively.
  • Integrity and professionalism: maintain confidentiality and act as an ethical adviser to the business.
  • Adaptability and resilience: operate effectively in a fast-changing regulatory environment and manage competing priorities.
  • Coaching and mentorship: support development of junior team members and promote knowledge sharing.
  • Presentation skills: summarize findings and recommendations clearly for senior leadership and board-level audiences.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Law, Business Administration, Economics, Information Systems, or related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's degree or JD or relevant graduate qualification (LLM, MSc in Risk/Compliance, or MBA).
  • Professional certifications such as CAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist), CRCM, CCEP, CISA, CPA, or equivalent.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Finance
  • Accounting
  • Law / Legal Studies
  • Business Administration
  • Economics
  • Information Systems / Data Analytics
  • Risk Management / Compliance

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of progressive experience in compliance, regulatory affairs, risk, internal audit, or related functions. (Senior roles: 7+ years)

Preferred:

  • Prior experience in regulated industries (banking, payments, insurance, fintech, healthcare).
  • Hands-on exposure to AML/KYC programs, SOX control environment, and regulator exam management.
  • Experience collaborating with product and engineering teams to operationalize compliance controls and integrate compliance tools and data pipelines.
  • Demonstrated success preparing for and responding to regulatory examinations and external audits, with documented remediation outcomes.
Explore More Careers