Compliance officer salary · officer, manager and head of compliance
What a compliance officer earns, from first role to head of compliance
A compliance officer typically earns £27,000 to £46,000, according to the Prospects job profile (August 2026). Senior compliance officers and compliance managers can earn up to £65,000, and senior managers, directors and heads of compliance from £70,000 to more than £124,000.
The compliance officer salary depends on the sector, the location, the regulator and how senior the seat is: Prospects notes that pay can be significantly higher in London and in finance. When you hire a compliance officer through us, permanent, fractional or interim, we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
How a brief runswhat we undertake
- 01Brief30-MINUTE SCOPING CALLDay 0
- 02Shortlist of 3–5VETTED · RATE BENCHMARK · IR35After the brief
- 03InterviewsYOU MEET THE SHORTLISTYour diary
- 04Scoped startFIRST-MONTH OUTCOMES AGREEDYou set the date
- 05Fractional, interim and permanentIR35 POSITION SET OUTOn every brief
Shortlist3–5
15 minutes · video or phone
Book 15 minutes to hire a compliance officer
Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with Compliance Officer candidates, their day rates and availability.
- 0115 minutes, video or phone
- 02We scope the role and the days a week
- 03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
- 04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs
Pick a day that suits · live availability
On the board · last 3 months
Compliance officer jobs on the board
No Compliance officer roles on the board in the last three months. Showing legal and compliance roles instead.
Live compliance roles
Fractional Quest is a fractional recruitment agency: send a Compliance Officer brief and we come back with a shortlist of three to five vetted candidates.
01/ the role
What a compliance officer does, and what sets the pay
A compliance officer keeps a business within the rules of its regulator: running the monitoring programme, advising the business, keeping policies current and reporting to the board. In an FCA investment firm the rules require a permanent and effective compliance function that operates independently, and a compliance officer must be appointed to run it. For the role in full, see what a compliance officer does.
Pay follows the seat. Prospects sets out the ladder: £27,000–£46,000 for a compliance officer, with trainee and apprenticeship roles lower; up to £65,000 for a senior compliance officer or compliance manager; and £70,000 to more than £124,000 for senior managers, directors and heads of compliance.
Within each band, Prospects names the industry, the location, skills, experience, qualifications and track record as what moves the figure, with London and financial services at the top. Benefits may include bonuses, a pension and private medical insurance.
02/ scope
How to hire a compliance officer
1. Scope the seat
Write down what the role owns: monitoring, regulatory change, financial crime, conduct, data protection, or some mix. Say which regulator the business answers to, how large the team is, and whether the role reports to the board, the chief executive or a head of compliance.
2. Choose the route
A permanent compliance officer suits a firm whose compliance programme needs an owner every day; see the open compliance officer jobs. If you need the seat held for set days a week, see part-time compliance jobs or, for money laundering reporting, a fractional MLRO.
3. Set the base and the variable part together
The CIPD’s introduction to reward separates guaranteed base pay from variable pay, which is not guaranteed. For a compliance officer, tie any bonus to the quality of the programme, such as monitoring completed and actions closed, rather than to sales, so the independence of the role is not undermined.
What we do on a compliance brief
We recruit permanent, fractional, interim, part-time and temporary compliance leaders, and non-executive directors. We send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, and every candidate goes through our five-stage vetting first.
03/ rates by stage
Compliance officer salary by seniority
Salary bands from the Prospects compliance officer job profile (Graduate Futures Institute editors, Jisc, August 2026). Prospects says income figures are intended as a guide only and publishes no day rate, so none is shown.
04/ economics
Salary or day rate: what the seat costs you
A salary is not the whole cost of an employee. For 2026 to 2027, employer’s National Insurance is 15% on earnings above £5,000 a year (HMRC rates and thresholds). Under automatic enrolment, the employer must pay at least 3% into a workplace pension on qualifying earnings, and those earnings include bonuses (GOV.UK). Many schemes pay more.
Prospects notes that contract and temporary compliance roles are available and that day rates vary significantly with the role, location and experience. A day rate does not compare one for one with a salary: a contractor funds their own pension, holidays and gaps between assignments. Under the off-payroll working rules (IR35), a medium or large client makes the status determination; for a small client outside the public sector, the worker’s own company decides. Our IR35 guide sets out the tests.
05/ vetting
How we vet compliance officers
What we undertake on every brief, before a candidate reaches you.
- 01
Qualification screen
Verify Compliance Officer tenure, sector context and stage fit.
SOURCING - 02
Mandate fit
Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.
MATCHING - 03
Reference deep-dive
We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.
VERIFY - 04
Shortlist
Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
SHORTLIST OF 3–5
06/ compliance manager salary
Compliance manager salary: the step above officer
Prospects puts the compliance manager salary alongside the senior compliance officer’s: up to £65,000, against £27,000–£46,000 for a compliance officer. The step usually brings a team, ownership of the monitoring plan and the first regular reporting to senior management.
Compliance managers often specialise, in financial crime, conduct, regulatory change or monitoring and testing, and the specialism shapes the pay as much as the title. For the duties written out, see the compliance officer job description; for the route into the work, how to become a compliance officer.
07/ head of compliance salary
Head of compliance salary: the senior range
Prospects puts senior managers, directors and heads of compliance at £70,000 to more than £124,000. That is the widest band on the ladder, because the seat ranges from the head of a small firm’s function to the director of a large regulated group.
In financial services the top of that range is often an approved role. The Compliance Oversight function, SMF16, is a Senior Management Function, and anyone holding it needs FCA or PRA approval before starting. For the seat held part of the week, see part-time chief compliance officer jobs.
08/ questions
Compliance officer salary FAQ
The questions people ask before bringing in a compliance officer.
Book 15 minutes · shortlist of 3–5
Bring the brief. We architect the team.
A shortlist of 3–5 with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.
