Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between managers, software quality assurance and test managers 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 test manager. Additionally, a manager, software quality assurance has an average salary of $122,736, which is higher than the $92,297 average annual salary of a test manager.
The top three skills for a manager, software quality assurance include software quality, software development and test cases. The most important skills for a test manager are QA, project management, and java.
| Manager, Software Quality Assurance | Test Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $122,736 | $92,297 |
| Hourly rate | $59.01 | $44.37 |
| Growth rate | 21% | - |
| Number of jobs | 108,570 | 27,489 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| 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 test manager is responsible for supervising the content of test activities and ensuring that the scope meets the test requirements. Test managers monitor the test process and determine the accurate strategies to establish efficient methods for the success of test deliveries. They also identify the resources according to quality standards and budget limitations. A test manager oversees the technical controls of the test processes and measures the quality of tools and applications for optimal automation.
Managers, software quality assurance and test managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manager, Software Quality Assurance | Test Manager | |
| Average salary | $122,736 | $92,297 |
| Salary range | Between $92,000 And $163,000 | Between $71,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | Napa, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a manager, software quality assurance and a test manager in terms of educational background:
| Manager, Software Quality Assurance | Test Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between managers, software quality assurance' and test managers' demographics:
| Manager, Software Quality Assurance | Test Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0% | Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3% |
| 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, 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% |