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What is a junior quality assurance engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Andrea Welker Ph.D.

If you are curious to know the stages that products go through to end up in the consumer's hands, then this is the job for you. As a junior quality assurance engineer, not only will you gain insight into the processes that make the product, but you will also play an essential role in ensuring that product is up to company standards. You will be the final stage that a product passes through before heading to the general public.

Some of the duties and responsibilities that you perform in this capacity include shadowing the quality assurance engineer, establishing and maintaining quality management systems, and developing and overseeing operations metrics for all stages of the production process. You run various tests on the finished products, and you analyze and recommend improvements to existing processes that will eliminate faults in products and ensure profitability for the company. Essential skills that you need to successfully complete these duties include communication, analytics, mathematics, organization, and attention to detail.

To qualify for this position, employers typically require a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering or a related discipline. As this is a junior position, little to no prior work experience is required, but some experience might gain a candidate some preference. The average hourly pay for this position is $30.42, which amounts to more than $63,000 annually.

What general advice would you give to a junior quality assurance engineer?

Andrea Welker Ph.D.Andrea Welker Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University

Be open to new experiences. Find a good mentor. Become a valued employee. Always remember that you are designing something for someone.
ScoreJunior Quality Assurance EngineerUS Average
Salary
5.4

Avg. Salary $69,173

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity
4.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 11.99%

Black or African American 6.24%

Hispanic or Latino 8.82%

Unknown 4.70%

White 67.73%

Gender

female 38.25%

male 61.75%

Age - 43
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43
Stress level
5.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
6.1

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Junior quality assurance engineer career paths

Key steps to become a junior quality assurance engineer

  1. Explore junior quality assurance engineer education requirements

    Most common junior quality assurance engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    82.2 %

    Master's

    12.5 %

    Associate

    2.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific junior quality assurance engineer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Java10.56%
    Jira7.94%
    Regression5.81%
    JavaScript5.63%
    Test Scripts5.59%
  3. Complete relevant junior quality assurance engineer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New junior quality assurance engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a junior quality assurance engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real junior quality assurance engineer resumes.
  4. Research junior quality assurance engineer duties and responsibilities

    • Update business requirements and manage bug life cycle in Jira.
    • Conduct HACCP analysis in order to accomplish food safety requirements.
    • Collect and analyze HTML dumps for UI issues.
    • Work with QTP for automation testing of Java applications.
  5. Prepare your junior quality assurance engineer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your junior quality assurance engineer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a junior quality assurance engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable junior quality assurance engineer resume templates

    Build a professional junior quality assurance engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your junior quality assurance engineer resume.
    Junior Quality Assurance Engineer Resume
    Junior Quality Assurance Engineer Resume
    Junior Quality Assurance Engineer Resume
    Junior Quality Assurance Engineer Resume
    Junior Quality Assurance Engineer Resume
    Junior Quality Assurance Engineer Resume
    Junior Quality Assurance Engineer Resume
    Junior Quality Assurance Engineer Resume
    Junior Quality Assurance Engineer Resume
  6. Apply for junior quality assurance engineer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a junior quality assurance engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first junior quality assurance engineer job

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Average junior quality assurance engineer salary

The average junior quality assurance engineer salary in the United States is $69,173 per year or $33 per hour. Junior quality assurance engineer salaries range between $53,000 and $89,000 per year.

Average junior quality assurance engineer salary
$69,173 Yearly
$33.26 hourly

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Junior quality assurance engineer reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019
Pros

New field to work with compassion.

Cons

Low pay structure as compared to the efforts put in.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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