Internal auditor vs quality assurance auditor

The differences between internal auditors and quality assurance auditors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality assurance auditor has an average salary of $77,535, which is higher than the $63,013 average annual salary of an internal auditor.

The top three skills for an internal auditor include CPA, risk management and SOX. The most important skills for a quality assurance auditor are patients, ISO, and clinical trials.

Internal auditor vs quality assurance auditor overview

	Internal Auditor	Quality Assurance Auditor
Yearly salary	$63,013	$77,535
Hourly rate	$30.29	$37.28
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	25,571	79,931
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

What does an internal auditor do?

An internal auditor is an individual who takes responsibility for crucial accounting functions in an organization. Internal auditors have trusted consultants who advise upper management on how to handle corporate goals and risks. They review the business operations and processes of organizations. They have to assess the efficacy of the company's risk management procedures. They are expected to have superb communication skills, IT knowledge, and math aptitude. Also, they help protect the organization from potential theft and fraud of its assets.

What does a quality assurance auditor do?

Quality assurance (QA) analysts are responsible for testing company products and processes. Through testing, QA analysts ensure that the product or process is ready for production. They check whether the process meets company standards and guidelines, as well as any standards related to the industry they are in. QA analysts are in charge of determining the root cause of any problems that they may encounter. They also try to solve these as soon as possible. They also ensure that the company's products meet user expectations as well as the company's brand promise.

Internal auditor vs quality assurance auditor salary

Internal auditors and quality assurance auditors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Internal Auditor	Quality Assurance Auditor
Average salary	$63,013	$77,535
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $86,000	Between $49,000 And $122,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	Meta	Regeneron
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Pharmaceutical

Differences between internal auditor and quality assurance auditor education

There are a few differences between an internal auditor and a quality assurance auditor in terms of educational background:

	Internal Auditor	Quality Assurance Auditor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Internal auditor vs quality assurance auditor demographics

Here are the differences between internal auditors' and quality assurance auditors' demographics:

	Internal Auditor	Quality Assurance Auditor
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 54.6% Female, 45.4%	Male, 46.0% Female, 54.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 12.9% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 12.2% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between internal auditor and quality assurance auditor duties and responsibilities

Internal auditor example responsibilities.

Manage and coordinate annual external business evaluation in conjunction with CPA consultants.
Work with department analyst to create measurement tools and methods for communicating results and managing QA analysis in compiling/reporting results.
Conduct complex performance audits, fraud investigations, special projects and routine follow-up reviews in accordance with IIA standards.
Perform tests of critical controls in compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley legislation and report results utilizing company compliance tool to validate SOX checklist.
Develop company FDA policy & procedures for liquid oxygen small bulk delivery vessels.
Perform planning, compliance testing, substantive analysis and testing in accordance with GAAS.

Quality assurance auditor example responsibilities.

Manage post-audit activities and follow-up s on any necessary CAPA require resolving majority of deviations/investigations.
Lead cross functional project team to build user-friendly windows base customer support applications which interface with the OmniPlan/OmniPlus mainframe application.
Analyze and underwrite VA and FHA loans according to FNMA, FHLMC, regulatory and bank underwriting guidelines.
Educate staff and officers of third party lending partners on procedures and requirements for FHA, VA and USDA home loans.
Ensure loan documents are compliant with RESPA TILA guidelines.
Prepare correspondence; including TILA and RESPA disclosures, responding to OFAC queries and other OFAC relate matters.

Internal auditor vs quality assurance auditor skills

Common internal auditor skills

CPA, 8%
Risk Management, 5%
SOX, 5%
Audit Findings, 5%
Audit Procedures, 5%
Internal Audit Function, 5%

Common quality assurance auditor skills

Patients, 10%
ISO, 7%
Clinical Trials, 5%
FDA, 5%
Quality Assurance Audits, 5%
GMP, 4%

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Internal Auditor vs Quality Assurance Auditor

Updated January 8, 2025

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