Regulatory is a complex, dynamic career. Regulatory managers monitor a wide range of rules and regulations in their industry and region, and communicate with internal team members, external suppliers, and a wide range of stakeholders to ensure compliance. In highly regulated industries like food, health, cosmetics and pharma, these careers are challenging, interesting, and in high demand.

For large companies and in our increasingly interconnected world, doing business operations in multiple countries is part of daily life. And yet, in highly regulated industries, there can be multiple, overlapping applicable regulations and requirements, and ensuring compliance can be complicated and difficult. This is why there are so many opportunities in regulatory management, in a huge range of industries.

Jobs in Regulatory

Some of the job titles in regulatory include:

  • Regulatory affairs manager
  • Regulatory compliance officer
  • Regulatory specialist
  • Regulatory labeling compliance
  • Regulatory and compliance risk management
  • Regulatory process management
Why are Regulatory Affairs and Risk Management so Closely Related?

Depending on the organization and structure, regulatory management can be closely related to risk management, quality management, and project/process management. The reason these jobs and specializations tend to overlap is because the tools of risk management, process management, and quality control tend to overlap the tools and skills of regulatory management. Risk management, in particular, has a close relationship with regulation and compliance, because the process of risk identification and mitigation often leads to new regulations. Likewise, regulatory compliance often uses the tools and methods of quality control, so the two fields often overlap. 

Skills and Qualifications in Regulatory

The most important skill in a regulatory and compliance career is communication. The regulatory affairs manager needs to be able to read and understand often complex rules and laws, and determine if and how they apply to their industry and company. Then they need to work on applying those rules and implementing them throughout their company, communicating with a wide range of stakeholders, analyzing complex processes, and solving a wide range of problems. They need to be capable of one-on-one, team-wide, and large group speaking, writing, and presentation. 

It is most helpful if the regulatory manager has a background in both applied, technical skills in the industry in question, and also background in legal, financial, quality, or business, to help communicate effectively across sectors and roles. 

Regulatory managers also need software and analytical skills, and organizational and/or project management is helpful. 

Regulatory management is exciting, challenging, and incredibly important work. If you want to build a dynamic compliance career with some of the top companies in the world, contact grapefrute to learn more about your opportunities in regulatory affairs and management.