Associate director, quality assurance vs quality assurance supervisor

The differences between associate directors, quality assurance and quality assurance supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an associate director, quality assurance, becoming a quality assurance supervisor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an associate director, quality assurance has an average salary of $131,112, which is higher than the $66,145 average annual salary of a quality assurance supervisor.

The top three skills for an associate director, quality assurance include qa management, FDA and GMP. The most important skills for a quality assurance supervisor are food safety, product quality, and corrective action.

Associate director, quality assurance vs quality assurance supervisor overview

	Associate Director, Quality Assurance	Quality Assurance Supervisor
Yearly salary	$131,112	$66,145
Hourly rate	$63.03	$31.80
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	67,521	82,301
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	48	46
Years of experience	6	2

What does an associate director, quality assurance do?

Quality analysts act as problem solvers and testers of products or services in the production phase. They are responsible for the development and support of testing, process planning, design, and execution. These professionals need to have skills such as good communication skills, logic and reasoning, information technology skills, and a creative mindset. They should also be equipped with knowledge about the testing techniques. A computer science bachelor's degree or any of its associated fields is necessary to become a quality analyst.

What does a quality assurance supervisor do?

A quality assurance supervisor oversees and leads the quality control operations within a manufacturing plant or similar establishment. They are primarily responsible for crafting and implementing policies that prioritize the efficiency of products or services, supervising and evaluating the performances of the workforce, and setting standards and procedures that align not just with the goals of the company, but the national and international level of production standards. Furthermore, as a supervisor in the field, it is crucial to encourage and shape quality assurance workers into valuable members of the company.

Associate director, quality assurance vs quality assurance supervisor salary

Associate directors, quality assurance and quality assurance supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Associate Director, Quality Assurance	Quality Assurance Supervisor
Average salary	$131,112	$66,145
Salary range	Between $93,000 And $183,000	Between $46,000 And $94,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Wyoming
Best paying company	Corcept Therapeutics	Bristol-Myers Squibb
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Health Care

Differences between associate director, quality assurance and quality assurance supervisor education

There are a few differences between an associate director, quality assurance and a quality assurance supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Associate Director, Quality Assurance	Quality Assurance Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Biology	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Associate director, quality assurance vs quality assurance supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between associate directors, quality assurance' and quality assurance supervisors' demographics:

	Associate Director, Quality Assurance	Quality Assurance Supervisor
Average age	48	46
Gender ratio	Male, 59.8% Female, 40.2%	Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 9.1% White, 69.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 4.6% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between associate director, quality assurance and quality assurance supervisor duties and responsibilities

Associate director, quality assurance example responsibilities.

Create and manage worldwide GCP, GMP, and GLP audit program.
Manage and report quality data metrics including audits, investigations, CAPA, for management review meetings and steering committee meetings.
Manage large scale automation platform to perform regression and functional verification.
Manage initial USDA regulatory visits, working collaboratively with USDA inspectors leading audit preparation and follow-up activities and reports.
Authore SVMP and SMF for MHRA (EU) certification.
Train company on QSR, cGMP, and ISO regulations.

Quality assurance supervisor example responsibilities.

Assist in achieving ISO certification/training.
Manage GMP regulate quality assurance department to ensure all raw materials and finish products meet quality standards.
Lead product development team to successfully develop components at improve PPAP approval time by implementing better project planning
Conduct and report internal quality system and vendor/supplier audits in accordance with ISO and company quality assurance requirements.
Use of refractometer, micrometer, lab scales, and calipers.
Monitor pre-clinical GLP studies at CRO and intra-departmental sites to ensure protocol/regulatory compliance (Covance).

Associate director, quality assurance vs quality assurance supervisor skills

Common associate director, quality assurance skills

Qa Management, 8%
FDA, 6%
GMP, 6%
GCP, 5%
ICH, 4%
CAPA, 4%

Common quality assurance supervisor skills

Food Safety, 8%
Product Quality, 7%
Corrective Action, 6%
GMP, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
Continuous Improvement, 4%

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Associate Director, Quality Assurance
Associate Director, Quality Assurance vs Quality Assurance Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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