Regulatory Affairs Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate production activities of an organization to ensure compliance with regulations and standard operating procedures.
Also called: CMC Director (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls Director), CMC Regulatory Affairs Manager (Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls Regulatory Affairs Manager), Compliance Director, Global RA Director (Global Regulatory Affairs Director), Global RA Manager (Global Regulatory Affairs Manager), International Regulatory Affairs Specialist
Median pay
$141,900
Pay for the broader BLS group “Managers, All Other”
Pay range (10th–90th)
$74,300 – $238,270
People employed
622,190
Whole BLS group
Holland code
ECI
Enterprising · Conventional · Investigative
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Are you comfortable sitting at a desk most of the day?
- 2.Do you prefer working indoors?
- 3.Would you rather not deal with customers or the public?
- 4.Do you want to lead or coordinate other people’s work?
- 5.Do you want the same hours every week?
The hard parts
- Tight deadlines are common
Regulatory Affairs Managers pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (50 states and DC with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, for the broader group “Managers, All Other”.
What regulatory affairs managers do
- 01Develop regulatory strategies and implementation plans for the preparation and submission of new products.
- 02Review all regulatory agency submission materials to ensure timeliness, accuracy, comprehensiveness, or compliance with regulatory standards.
- 03Direct the preparation and submission of regulatory agency applications, reports, or correspondence.
- 04Investigate product complaints and prepare documentation and submissions to appropriate regulatory agencies as necessary.
- 05Provide responses to regulatory agencies regarding product information or issues.
- 06Represent organizations before domestic or international regulatory agencies on major policy matters or decisions regarding company products.
Skills that matter most
- Writing
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
Knowledge
- English Language
- Law and Government
- Administration and Management
- Biology
- Education and Training
Work styles that stand out
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
- Cautiousness
- Intellectual Curiosity
Education and first steps
Share of workers by required education, as reported to O*NET.
How people get started
- Usually needs a bachelor's degree (O*NET Job Zone 4).
- Related work experience: over 2 years, up to and including 4 years.
- On-the-job training: over 6 months, up to and including 1 year.
- A certification can help.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from regulatory affairs managers
- Regulatory Affairs Specialists95% · group pay
- Project Management Specialists83% · —
- Clinical Data Managers83% · group pay
- Management Analysts83% · —
- Financial Examiners80% · —
Change into regulatory affairs managers
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- Regulatory Affairs Specialists95% · $80,730
- Quality Control Systems Managers77% · $126,060
- Financial Examiners76% · $94,160
- Compensation and Benefits Managers75% · $149,230
- Purchasing Managers74% · $148,080
Majors that lead here
- Environmental/Natural Resource Economics
- Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia
- Information Technology Project Management
- Library and Information Science
- Archives/Archival Administration
- Systems Science and Theory
- Cultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis
- Economics and Computer Science
- Economics and Foreign Language/Literature
- Geoarcheaology
- History and Language/Literature
- History and Political Science
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.