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The differences between lead auditors and audit specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead auditor has an average salary of $85,352, which is higher than the $58,291 average annual salary of an audit specialist.
The top three skills for a lead auditor include ISO, medicare and management system. The most important skills for an audit specialist are audit reports, patients, and customer service.
| Lead Auditor | Audit Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $85,352 | $58,291 |
| Hourly rate | $41.03 | $28.02 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 20,504 | 40,071 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Lead auditors are professionals who are responsible for providing leadership and coordinating work schedules to a team of audit experts within an organization. These lead auditors are required to prepare audit plans and conduct team meetings before conducting internal or external audits at the end of the quarter or year. They must conduct audits to provide reviews to the management about the effectiveness of the overall quality system. Lead auditors must also develop action plans to improve the financial reporting systems of the organization.
An audit specialist is responsible for evaluating the reports by a professional auditor that will assist in improving the growth of the organization to achieve its goals and objectives. Audit specialists aid in the development of the company by using a systematic approach to reach the goals set by the company. Primary responsibilities include operating complex and difficult audit projects and conducting audits of control, financial, and other operating records. Also, they develop, implement distinct audit strategies, programs, and procedures for intricate assignments.
Lead auditors and audit specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Auditor | Audit Specialist | |
| Average salary | $85,352 | $58,291 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $115,000 | Between $34,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | SAP |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a lead auditor and an audit specialist in terms of educational background:
| Lead Auditor | Audit Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between lead auditors' and audit specialists' demographics:
| Lead Auditor | Audit Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.9% Female, 42.1% | Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 12.2% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |