Head of Risk & Compliance Salary UK (2026)
A Head of Risk & Compliance in a UK law firm typically earns £115,000 – £175,000.
Band is the middle half (25th to 75th percentile) of 19 Head of Risk / Director-level responses to our salary survey, alongside placement records. Median £145,000; the top decile reaches £205,000 and above. Most senior-tier responses are London-based.
What the role pays
Figures are base salary, excluding bonus and benefits. Ranges reflect UK law firms; in-house and financial services sit outside this dataset.
| Level | Typical base salary |
|---|---|
| Entry / early career | £115,000 – £136,000 |
| Experienced | £136,000 – £160,000 |
| Senior / lead | £160,000 – £175,000 |
What moves the number
Three things account for most of the spread within the band.
Named-role accountability
Carrying the COLP or MLCO appointment — or formally deputising — moves the number materially. Firms pay for the personal regulatory exposure, not just the management load.
Breadth of the function owned
A head who owns conflicts, AML, business acceptance and regulatory together sits at the top of the band. Single-discipline heads — of conflicts, or of financial crime — sit below the full-function role.
Firm scale and tier
Our survey's top decile — £205,000 and above — is concentrated in US and top-50 firms in London. National-firm heads with equivalent remits typically sit in the middle of the band.
The data behind the band
From 145 responses to our salary questionnaire alongside placement records, last reviewed August 2026.
How Head of Risk & Compliance compares across the function
Base salary range by role, UK law firms. This role highlighted; every other bar links to its own guide.
What experience is worth
Median base salary by years in the function. Measured across all legal risk and compliance roles, not this one alone — per-role samples at this granularity are too small to publish.
Beyond base salary
What the wider package typically includes, across all survey respondents.
Salary guides for every role we place
Common questions
What does a Head of Risk & Compliance earn in the UK?
A Head of Risk & Compliance in a UK law firm typically earns £115,000 to £175,000. Band is the middle half (25th to 75th percentile) of 19 Head of Risk / Director-level responses to our salary survey, alongside placement records. Median £145,000; the top decile reaches £205,000 and above. Most senior-tier responses are London-based.
How do I move into a Head of Risk & Compliance role?
We map the route in our Head of Risk & Compliance career pathway, covering the skills firms screen for, typical entry points and where the role leads next.
Next steps
The Head of Risk & Compliance career pathway
Skills firms screen for, typical entry points, and where the role leads next.
View the pathway →Live Head of Risk & Compliance roles
Current vacancies across UK and international law firms.
Browse jobs →Benchmark your own salary
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Open the calculator →The full salary guide
Role-by-role benchmarks across the whole legal risk and compliance function.
Download the guide →