Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between lean six sigma black belts 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 lean six sigma black belt and a quality engineer. Additionally, a lean six sigma black belt has an average salary of $88,305, which is higher than the $79,672 average annual salary of a quality engineer.
The top three skills for a lean six sigma black belt include lean six sigma, six sigma training and lean sigma. The most important skills for a quality engineer are corrective action, continuous improvement, and ISO.
| Lean SIX Sigma Black Belt | Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,305 | $79,672 |
| Hourly rate | $42.45 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 7,134 | 96,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Lead Six Sigma Black Belt specializes in designing and developing tools and systems to optimize company operations. Their responsibilities include applying principles in addressing and resolving issues and concerns, conducting research and analysis to understand the needs of the company and its projects, and developing strategies to optimize the workflow and workforce performance. Moreover, they provide technical advice to managers and staff, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
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.
Lean six sigma black belts and quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lean SIX Sigma Black Belt | Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,305 | $79,672 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $111,000 | Between $61,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Broomfield, CO | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Education | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lean six sigma black belt and a quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lean SIX Sigma Black Belt | Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | New York University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between lean six sigma black belts' and quality engineers' demographics:
| Lean SIX Sigma Black Belt | Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.9% Female, 27.1% | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 11.5% White, 68.0% 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% |