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The differences between lead quality engineers and quality engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a lead quality engineer and a quality engineer. Additionally, a lead quality engineer has an average salary of $104,296, which is higher than the $79,672 average annual salary of a quality engineer.
The top three skills for a lead quality engineer include java, corrective action and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a quality engineer are corrective action, continuous improvement, and ISO.
| Lead Quality Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $104,296 | $79,672 |
| Hourly rate | $50.14 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 81,952 | 96,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Lead quality engineers are engineering professionals who manage a team of quality assurance professionals that ensure the overall quality of manufactured products. These engineers must create comprehensive test plans and test cases to ensure that the finished products have met the client requirements. They have to develop and implement quality standards and procedures while developing internal corrective actions after performing the internal processes audits. Lead quality engineers must also provide new product quality training to members of the quality control and production team.
A quality engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
Lead quality engineers and quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Quality Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $104,296 | $79,672 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $135,000 | Between $61,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead quality engineer and a quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Quality Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between lead quality engineers' and quality engineers' demographics:
| Lead Quality Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.6% Female, 23.4% | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 15.2% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |