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The differences between manufacturing quality engineers and quality managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a manufacturing quality engineer, becoming a quality manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a quality manager has an average salary of $91,357, which is higher than the $89,693 average annual salary of a manufacturing quality engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing quality engineer include continuous improvement, corrective action and sigma. The most important skills for a quality manager are continuous improvement, corrective action, and quality standards.
| Manufacturing Quality Engineer | Quality Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $89,693 | $91,357 |
| Hourly rate | $43.12 | $43.92 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 111,968 | 63,422 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A manufacturing quality engineer is in charge of designing and developing quality control programs to meet the standard procedures and products of a company. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to identify the strengths and weaknesses of current programs and systems, identifying the needs of manufacturing plants and its workforce, and upgrading existing systems. One may also address issues and concerns, performing corrective measures as needed. Furthermore, as a manufacturing quality engineer, it is essential to conduct regular inspections to maintain a safe and efficient work environment for everyone.
A quality manager is an individual who is responsible for ensuring that the level of quality of the company's product outputs is met for customers. Quality managers monitor and evaluate the internal production process so that they can produce statistical reports on the standard of quality and communicate them to upper management. To ensure health and safety standards, quality managers must create and maintain up-to-date product or process specifications. They also train employees on quality assurance standards and processes.
Manufacturing quality engineers and quality managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Quality Engineer | Quality Manager | |
| Average salary | $89,693 | $91,357 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $122,000 | Between $64,000 And $128,000 |
| Highest paying City | Pleasanton, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing quality engineer and a quality manager in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Quality Engineer | Quality Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing quality engineers' and quality managers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Quality Engineer | Quality Manager | |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8% | Male, 72.1% Female, 27.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 9.2% White, 69.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 8% |