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The differences between managers, software quality assurance and quality assurance specialists 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 specialist. Additionally, a manager, software quality assurance has an average salary of $122,736, which is higher than the $63,443 average annual salary of a quality assurance specialist.
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 specialist are GMP, patients, and FDA.
| Manager, Software Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $122,736 | $63,443 |
| Hourly rate | $59.01 | $30.50 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 108,570 | 83,505 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| 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 specialist is an individual who is responsible for monitoring, inspecting, and proposing measures to correct and improve a company's product. Quality assurance specialists need to outline quality assurance policies and procedures, making sure that quality standards are assured. It is important that a quality assurance specialist should have strong attention to detail and is excellent in data collection. This work may require a minimum of bachelor's degree and certification to get certified.
Managers, software quality assurance and quality assurance specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manager, Software Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Average salary | $122,736 | $63,443 |
| Salary range | Between $92,000 And $163,000 | Between $41,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Napa, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Apple | |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a manager, software quality assurance and a quality assurance specialist in terms of educational background:
| Manager, Software Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between managers, software quality assurance' and quality assurance specialists' demographics:
| Manager, Software Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0% | Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2% |
| 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% |