Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between lead software quality assurances and software analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a lead software quality assurance, becoming a software analyst takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a lead software quality assurance has an average salary of $107,134, which is higher than the $78,400 average annual salary of a software analyst.
The top three skills for a lead software quality assurance include QA, python and java. The most important skills for a software analyst are java, C++, and software development.
| Lead Software Quality Assurance | Software Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $107,134 | $78,400 |
| Hourly rate | $51.51 | $37.69 |
| Growth rate | - | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 265,749 | 274,053 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A Lead Software Quality Assurance is responsible for the management and organization of quality testing. Their job is to ensure that a project will have a successful promotion by providing quality software and testing a different product to ensure that it is according to the guidelines. They are also involved in finding a solution to conflicts between two other teams, creating a strategy that will eventually give way to more opportunities for the company, give motivational advice to the team, and then evaluate them.
A software analyst is responsible for creating and designing software programs and applications, as well as modifying existing ones for optimization according to business requirements. Software analysts work with the technical team to draw system codes, analyze programming languages, and ensure the stability and efficiency of software navigation by running multiple quality checks to the system. They inspect the application's performance, configure servers, and improve software infrastructure according to quality findings. A software analyst records resolution reports and provides progress updates, ensuring that the project adheres to budget limitations and set timetables.
Lead software quality assurances and software analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Software Quality Assurance | Software Analyst | |
| Average salary | $107,134 | $78,400 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $138,000 | Between $61,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Apple | ConocoPhillips |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a lead software quality assurance and a software analyst in terms of educational background:
| Lead Software Quality Assurance | Software Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between lead software quality assurances' and software analysts' demographics:
| Lead Software Quality Assurance | Software Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.1% Female, 31.9% | Male, 67.7% Female, 32.3% |
| 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, 10.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 17.2% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |