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The differences between junior quality assurance testers and quality assurance leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a junior quality assurance tester and a quality assurance lead. Additionally, a quality assurance lead has an average salary of $94,758, which is higher than the $62,660 average annual salary of a junior quality assurance tester.
The top three skills for a junior quality assurance tester include QA, manual test cases and regression. The most important skills for a quality assurance lead are QA, test cases, and test plan.
| Junior Quality Assurance Tester | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $62,660 | $94,758 |
| Hourly rate | $30.12 | $45.56 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 92,642 | 82,242 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A junior quality assurance tester is responsible for facilitating different quality assurance, such as integration and performance testing of software systems. They handle the communication process between stakeholders and clients and resolve issues like bugs, viruses, and other unwanted software. They also develop and maintain a collaborative partnership with different agencies and software developers. They usually work with a supervising quality assurance tester and with other business groups to complete testing.
A quality assurance lead, also known as QA Lead, is responsible for conducting necessary quality tests and analyses for software program and development. As a quality assurance lead, they must take the lead in ensuring quality during development by proactively performing critical evaluations, troubleshooting, and providing precise documentation. It is also essential to identify issues and resolve them as soon as possible. Furthermore, a quality assurance lead must maintain an active line of communication and coordination as most of the work will be in a team setting.
Junior quality assurance testers and quality assurance leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Quality Assurance Tester | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average salary | $62,660 | $94,758 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $93,000 | Between $72,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Burlingame, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Cnsi | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Retail |
There are a few differences between a junior quality assurance tester and a quality assurance lead in terms of educational background:
| Junior Quality Assurance Tester | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between junior quality assurance testers' and quality assurance leads' demographics:
| Junior Quality Assurance Tester | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.1% Female, 50.9% | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% |
| 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% |