A person who works in one of the wide variety of regulatory affairs jobs is responsible for the correct, legal, and safe operation of companies working in industries that handle sensitive materials or potentially dangerous substances and products. Medical, banking, and manufacturing industries often utilize regulatory affairs professionals. Depending upon the company or organization for which a regulatory affairs officer works, the job duties can range from negotiations with outside agencies to safety testing to product placement and management.
The most common regulatory affairs jobs exist in the medical and technology industries. A regulatory affairs specialist working with medical devices and products is responsible for ensuring that equipment meets company and governmental policies and laws. A regulatory affairs specialist may also work in the pharmaceutical industry, checking the packaging of and ensuring the correct handling of drugs. This type of specialist works to create safety procedures and ensure they are followed.
Those working in the regulatory law field, such as regulatory affairs lawyers and paralegals, focus on representing clients with regulatory issues or concerns. A lawyer in this industry might defend a client company in any litigation necessary, and may work on creating and negotiating contracts between individuals and companies. A paralegal working in this field likely has specialized knowledge of regulatory affairs and works to support and assist regulatory affairs lawyers.
Other types of regulatory affairs jobs deal with specific products, especially those used as applications on humans and animals, such as beauty products and health applications. A regulatory affairs worker in the product manufacturing industry checks safety specifications and ensures marketing and product packaging follow and adhere to specific policies, practices, and laws. This type of regulatory affairs worker also supervises the testing of products, and strategizes ways to avoid and handle hazardous situations. She often coordinates with internal departments and outside organizations to ensure a product is created, built, and packaged using standard practices.
There are many types of jobs for regulatory specialists in the banking industry as well. As governments often have oversight of banking and potentially sensitive money situations, regulatory affairs jobs in this industry can include bank officers or officials from outside agencies who perform audits on bank practices. Bank officers with a focus on regulatory affairs work to plan and execute bank policies and procedures to ensure compliance. Those from outside agencies, such as third-party accountants, must look at bank documentation and practices and determine if requirements are being met.