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The differences between associate directors, quality assurance and quality managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an associate director, quality assurance and a quality manager. Additionally, an associate director, quality assurance has an average salary of $131,112, which is higher than the $91,357 average annual salary of a quality manager.
The top three skills for an associate director, quality assurance include qa management, FDA and GMP. The most important skills for a quality manager are continuous improvement, corrective action, and quality standards.
| Associate Director, Quality Assurance | Quality Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $131,112 | $91,357 |
| Hourly rate | $63.03 | $43.92 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 67,521 | 63,422 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
A quality manager is an individual who is responsible for ensuring that the level of quality of the company's product outputs is met for customers. Quality managers monitor and evaluate the internal production process so that they can produce statistical reports on the standard of quality and communicate them to upper management. To ensure health and safety standards, quality managers must create and maintain up-to-date product or process specifications. They also train employees on quality assurance standards and processes.
Associate directors, quality assurance and quality managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Director, Quality Assurance | Quality Manager | |
| Average salary | $131,112 | $91,357 |
| Salary range | Between $93,000 And $183,000 | Between $64,000 And $128,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Corcept Therapeutics | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between an associate director, quality assurance and a quality manager in terms of educational background:
| Associate Director, Quality Assurance | Quality Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Biology | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between associate directors, quality assurance' and quality managers' demographics:
| Associate Director, Quality Assurance | Quality Manager | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.8% Female, 40.2% | Male, 72.1% Female, 27.9% |
| 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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 9.2% White, 69.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |