Compliance Specialists: Who Are They and What Do They Do?

Compliance specialists are in high demand in many pharmaceutical, healthcare and medicine-related industries today. And the growth in the need for them shows no signs of stopping. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be over 23,000 new jobs in the compliance sector by 2026.

Over the years, rules and regulations have become incredibly complex and stringent for big industries—and they’re expected to comply with all legal formalities down to a T.

So if compliance specialists are so important to safeguarding an organization’s integrity, why don’t we hear more about them? Let’s change that.

Let’s talk about compliance officers and what they do.

Who are compliance specialists?

Also known as compliance officers, these professionals make sure their organization is up to date and in line with all types of legal and licensing requisites. This includes regulations issued by their own company, state or country.

What are the duties of compliance specialists?

Compliance officers are responsible for creating and implementing the policies that keep an organization’s operations (including its products and services) within legal and ethical bounds.

In the cases when an organization is suspected of violating compliance protocols, these specialists will be required to conduct either an investigation or an audit to suggest where improvements and changes can be made.

In some situations, where an independent investigation is warranted, the compliance specialists end up serving as the bridging network between the auditor and the organization under audit. They can provide the third-party investigators with important company documentation and, based on their recommendations, can devise strategies to take corrective action. Corrective measures are important to avoid any future mishaps related to compliance protocols.

Why are compliance specialists important to organizations?

Some compliance specialists may be called in by an organization to build a program from scratch. Others may be requested to follow and bolster a pre-existing model. Either way, compliance strategies are crucial guarantees for a company’s legal functioning. Their strategies can heighten or reduce the risks of operations within an organization, so they must always be monitoring state and federal compliance rules.

In addition to these important services, compliance specialists provide a company’s employees with the legal documentation, training manuals and platforms to voice their compliance-related concerns.

Where do compliance specialists work?

Compliance specialists may choose work either as an employee of an organization (usually in the legal affairs department) or serve as third-party auditors and consultants. Most commonly, compliance officials can be found serving in the medical, pharmaceutical, insurance, healthcare, finance and banking sectors.

Looking for a compliance manager? Brookwoods Group provides all types of regulatory and compliance professionals to meet your organization’s needs. With over two decades of experience in the marketing, staffing, recruiting and project management arenas, we’ve got personalized solutions to match you with the best talent!

To learn more, just give us a call at (800) 426-3900 or visit our website to get started.