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The differences between automation leads and quality assurance engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an automation lead and a quality assurance engineer. Additionally, an automation lead has an average salary of $106,261, which is higher than the $82,215 average annual salary of a quality assurance engineer.
The top three skills for an automation lead include java, python and C++. The most important skills for a quality assurance engineer are java, python, and regression.
| Automation Lead | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $106,261 | $82,215 |
| Hourly rate | $51.09 | $39.53 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 36,010 | 243,536 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An Automation Lead is primarily in charge of testing and operating automated machinery in manufacturing facilities. They typically work together with automation teams, adhere to guidelines and protocols, meet project requirements, and produce progress reports. There are also instances when an automation lead may participate in conceptualizing machinery, conducting research and analyses, and addressing issues and concerns. Moreover, an Automation Lead usually works in a team setting, which requires an active communication line for a smooth and efficient workflow.
A Quality Assurance Engineer's role is to oversee the overall production and ensure that the product is cost-efficient and aligns with the company's standards. The responsibility mainly revolves around conducting activities that examine and scrutinize the condition of a product or service to identify issues and come up with possible solutions to resolve the issue or attain stronger customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the Quality Assurance Engineer must also ensure that the product adheres to the government regulations and market guidelines.
Automation leads and quality assurance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automation Lead | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $106,261 | $82,215 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $137,000 | Between $61,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between an automation lead and a quality assurance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Automation Lead | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between automation leads' and quality assurance engineers' demographics:
| Automation Lead | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.7% Female, 19.3% | Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5% |
| 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% |