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The differences between lead test technicians and senior quality assurance testers 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 test technician and a senior quality assurance tester. Additionally, a senior quality assurance tester has an average salary of $93,770, which is higher than the $81,566 average annual salary of a lead test technician.
The top three skills for a lead test technician include java, QA and test strategy. The most important skills for a senior quality assurance tester are test cases, QA, and regression.
| Lead Test Technician | Senior Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Yearly salary | $81,566 | $93,770 |
| Hourly rate | $39.21 | $45.08 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 51,060 | 81,916 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Lead test technicians are professionals who are responsible for leading a group of test professionals to test products and report their findings to engineers or product developers. These technicians are required to design and develop test plans and procedures so that they can validate the requirements of products. They are required to use various test equipment as well as to conduct maintenance to ensure the product's functionality and quality. Lead test technicians must also gather and analyze user feedback to improve the overall user experience and satisfaction.
A senior quality assurance tester manages junior quality assurance staff. They test documents, lead testing procedures, and ensure customer satisfaction. They also work with an engineering development team to make updates to software.
Lead test technicians and senior quality assurance testers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Test Technician | Senior Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average salary | $81,566 | $93,770 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $101,000 | Between $73,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Macy's | Sagarsoft |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead test technician and a senior quality assurance tester in terms of educational background:
| Lead Test Technician | Senior Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between lead test technicians' and senior quality assurance testers' demographics:
| Lead Test Technician | Senior Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.3% Female, 29.7% | Male, 56.4% Female, 43.6% |
| 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% |