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The differences between managers, software quality assurance and quality assurance leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a manager, software quality assurance and a quality assurance lead. Additionally, a manager, software quality assurance has an average salary of $122,736, which is higher than the $94,758 average annual salary of a quality assurance lead.
The top three skills for a manager, software quality assurance include software quality, software development and test cases. The most important skills for a quality assurance lead are QA, test cases, and test plan.
| Manager, Software Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $122,736 | $94,758 |
| Hourly rate | $59.01 | $45.56 |
| Growth rate | 21% | - |
| Number of jobs | 108,570 | 82,242 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Software Quality Assurance Managers are responsible for overseeing the entire development process of software in ensuring they comply with the organization's standards. Their duties include implementing test case documentation, conducting a document risk analysis, recording test results, perform automated test coding, determine product quality benchmarks, and streamlining testing processes. Besides that, they are involved in identifying software bugs, discovering user problems, assessing product features, analyzing user interface functionality, and researching new technologies.
A quality assurance lead, also known as QA Lead, is responsible for conducting necessary quality tests and analyses for software program and development. As a quality assurance lead, they must take the lead in ensuring quality during development by proactively performing critical evaluations, troubleshooting, and providing precise documentation. It is also essential to identify issues and resolve them as soon as possible. Furthermore, a quality assurance lead must maintain an active line of communication and coordination as most of the work will be in a team setting.
Managers, software quality assurance and quality assurance leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manager, Software Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average salary | $122,736 | $94,758 |
| Salary range | Between $92,000 And $163,000 | Between $72,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Napa, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Retail |
There are a few differences between a manager, software quality assurance and a quality assurance lead in terms of educational background:
| Manager, Software Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between managers, software quality assurance' and quality assurance leads' demographics:
| Manager, Software Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0% | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% |
| 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% |