Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between directors of quality & engineering and quality leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a director of quality & engineering, becoming a quality lead takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a director of quality & engineering has an average salary of $140,891, which is higher than the $90,301 average annual salary of a quality lead.
The top three skills for a director of quality & engineering include quality engineering, continuous improvement and product quality. The most important skills for a quality lead are continuous improvement, product quality, and quality standards.
| Director Of Quality & Engineering | Quality Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $140,891 | $90,301 |
| Hourly rate | $67.74 | $43.41 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 118,665 | 62,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
A director of quality and engineering spearheads and oversees the overall quality and engineering operations of a company. They have the responsibility to set goals and budgets, establish product roadmaps and guidelines, coordinate managers, and build positive relationships with business partners. They must also address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Moreover, as a director of quality and engineering, they must enforce quality standards and company policies to ensure efficient results and smooth workflow.
A quality assurance (QA) lead is responsible for organizing and managing the testing of products prior to its release. Your duties will include defining testing standards and strategies, establishing formal QA processes, and overseeing all aspects of QA, such as using best practices and establishing metrics. Additionally, you are responsible for supervising and mentoring QA team members, and developing and implementing scripts, test cases, and procedures. You are also responsible for managing off quality products and developing and institutionalizing ISO complaints.
Directors of quality & engineering and quality leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Director Of Quality & Engineering | Quality Lead | |
| Average salary | $140,891 | $90,301 |
| Salary range | Between $98,000 And $201,000 | Between $63,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a director of quality & engineering and a quality lead in terms of educational background:
| Director Of Quality & Engineering | Quality Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between directors of quality & engineering' and quality leads' demographics:
| Director Of Quality & Engineering | Quality Lead | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1% | Male, 58.7% Female, 41.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 16.2% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 9.1% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |