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The differences between lead quality engineers and quality technicians 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 technician. Additionally, a lead quality engineer has an average salary of $104,296, which is higher than the $37,007 average annual salary of a quality technician.
The top three skills for a lead quality engineer include java, corrective action and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a quality technician are calipers, quality standards, and corrective action.
| Lead Quality Engineer | Quality Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $104,296 | $37,007 |
| Hourly rate | $50.14 | $17.79 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 81,952 | 80,291 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| 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.
Quality systems analysts are professionals who analyze the implemented quality standards of an organization's business procedures and policies. These analysts are required to execute test plans and resolve discrepancies with their technical personnel. They must coordinate all internal audits of the quality system while implementing corrective action to their audit findings. They are required to conduct weekly meetings with development staff to discuss defects and revised business requirements. Quality systems analysts must also identify the quality training needs for operations personnel working with supervisors and quality engineers.
Lead quality engineers and quality technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Quality Engineer | Quality Technician | |
| Average salary | $104,296 | $37,007 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $135,000 | Between $27,000 And $50,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amphenol | |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a lead quality engineer and a quality technician in terms of educational background:
| Lead Quality Engineer | Quality Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between lead quality engineers' and quality technicians' demographics:
| Lead Quality Engineer | Quality Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.6% Female, 23.4% | Male, 60.4% Female, 39.6% |
| 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, 10.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 6% |