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The differences between directors of quality and quality leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a director of quality and a quality lead. Additionally, a director of quality has an average salary of $134,435, which is higher than the $90,301 average annual salary of a quality lead.
The top three skills for a director of quality include healthcare, quality improvement and patients. The most important skills for a quality lead are continuous improvement, product quality, and quality standards.
| Director Of Quality | Quality Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $134,435 | $90,301 |
| Hourly rate | $64.63 | $43.41 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 65,443 | 62,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
In the manufacturing industry, a director of quality is primarily in charge of spearheading and overseeing the daily operations in a quality assurance department. They work to ensure that products adhere to the company's quality standards and industry regulations by conducting research and assessments, developing quality test systems, and reviewing reports. As a director of quality, they have the authority to make significant decisions, establish protocols and guidelines, set objectives and timelines, and implement rules and policies, creating new ones as necessary.
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 and quality leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Director Of Quality | Quality Lead | |
| Average salary | $134,435 | $90,301 |
| Salary range | Between $98,000 And $183,000 | Between $63,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, OR | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | ||
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a director of quality and a quality lead in terms of educational background:
| Director Of Quality | Quality Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between directors of quality' and quality leads' demographics:
| Director Of Quality | Quality Lead | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.2% Female, 34.8% | Male, 58.7% Female, 41.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 69.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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 | 8% | 8% |