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The differences between manufacturing quality managers and quality assurance managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a manufacturing quality manager and a quality assurance manager. Additionally, a manufacturing quality manager has an average salary of $121,115, which is higher than the $99,894 average annual salary of a quality assurance manager.
The top three skills for a manufacturing quality manager include continuous improvement, lean manufacturing and ISO. The most important skills for a quality assurance manager are continuous improvement, product quality, and corrective action.
| Manufacturing Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $121,115 | $99,894 |
| Hourly rate | $58.23 | $48.03 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 88,190 | 62,293 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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 Quality Assurance Manager's responsibility varies on the organization or industry where one is assigned. Most of the time, the duties will revolve around quality control, such as overseeing a company's manufacturing operations, ensuring that the process followed all of the necessary protocols, and the products met all of the standards in adherence to the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, one must be able to detect and identify mistakes, conduct constant inspections, coordinate with various staff and supervisors, develop the workforce's quality by training employees, and come up with strategies that will help the company attain financial gains.
Manufacturing quality managers and quality assurance managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Manager | |
| Average salary | $121,115 | $99,894 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $178,000 | Between $70,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Finance |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing quality manager and a quality assurance manager in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing quality managers' and quality assurance managers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Manager | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% | Male, 67.1% Female, 32.9% |
| 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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 9.2% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |