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The differences between associate quality assurance engineers and quality assurance leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an associate quality assurance engineer and a quality assurance lead. Additionally, a quality assurance lead has an average salary of $94,758, which is higher than the $70,931 average annual salary of an associate quality assurance engineer.
The top three skills for an associate quality assurance engineer include QA, quality standards and java. The most important skills for a quality assurance lead are QA, test cases, and test plan.
| Associate Quality Assurance Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $70,931 | $94,758 |
| Hourly rate | $34.10 | $45.56 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 159,146 | 82,242 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An associate quality assurance engineer is a crucial part of any company or business that provides products and services to customers. All company products are tested and evaluated through quality assurance to test if it meets market standards and can be useful for people. The associate quality assurance engineer is someone who helps with the QA lead in managing all department tasks. Other included tasks are regularly updating reports, writing assessments, and offering a new management solution to resolve an issue.
A quality assurance lead, also known as QA Lead, is responsible for conducting necessary quality tests and analyses for software program and development. As a quality assurance lead, they must take the lead in ensuring quality during development by proactively performing critical evaluations, troubleshooting, and providing precise documentation. It is also essential to identify issues and resolve them as soon as possible. Furthermore, a quality assurance lead must maintain an active line of communication and coordination as most of the work will be in a team setting.
Associate quality assurance engineers and quality assurance leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Quality Assurance Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average salary | $70,931 | $94,758 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $90,000 | Between $72,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Belk | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Retail |
There are a few differences between an associate quality assurance engineer and a quality assurance lead in terms of educational background:
| Associate Quality Assurance Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between associate quality assurance engineers' and quality assurance leads' demographics:
| Associate Quality Assurance Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2% | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |