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The differences between manufacturing quality managers and manufacturing quality engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a manufacturing quality manager, becoming a manufacturing quality engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a manufacturing quality manager has an average salary of $121,115, which is higher than the $89,693 average annual salary of a manufacturing quality engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing quality manager include continuous improvement, lean manufacturing and ISO. The most important skills for a manufacturing quality engineer are continuous improvement, corrective action, and sigma.
| Manufacturing Quality Manager | Manufacturing Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $121,115 | $89,693 |
| Hourly rate | $58.23 | $43.12 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 88,190 | 111,968 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A manufacturing quality manager ensures the manufacturing processes and products meet minimum standards of quality. In this position, they are required to ensure a certain level of quality is met, understand customer needs and requirements, develop quality control processes that meet the requirements provided, review specifications for products and processes, inspect final products to ensure they comply with legal standards, and set requirements for raw materials from suppliers.
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.
Manufacturing quality managers and manufacturing quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Quality Manager | Manufacturing Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $121,115 | $89,693 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $178,000 | Between $65,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Pleasanton, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing quality manager and a manufacturing quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Quality Manager | Manufacturing Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing quality managers' and manufacturing quality engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Quality Manager | Manufacturing Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% | Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 4% |