Operational test mechanic vs quality assurance inspector

The differences between operational test mechanics and quality assurance inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an operational test mechanic has an average salary of $42,957, which is higher than the $36,842 average annual salary of a quality assurance inspector.

The top three skills for an operational test mechanic include R, functional test and QC. The most important skills for a quality assurance inspector are calipers, micrometers, and corrective action.

Operational test mechanic vs quality assurance inspector overview

	Operational Test Mechanic	Quality Assurance Inspector
Yearly salary	$42,957	$36,842
Hourly rate	$20.65	$17.71
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	51,939	74,410
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Operational test mechanic vs quality assurance inspector salary

Operational test mechanics and quality assurance inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Operational Test Mechanic	Quality Assurance Inspector
Average salary	$42,957	$36,842
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $64,000	Between $27,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	North Kingstown, RI	Renton, WA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Washington
Best paying company	Bristol-Myers Squibb	Los Alamos National Laboratory
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between operational test mechanic and quality assurance inspector education

There are a few differences between an operational test mechanic and a quality assurance inspector in terms of educational background:

	Operational Test Mechanic	Quality Assurance Inspector
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Mechanical Engineering	Business
Most common college	-	-

Operational test mechanic vs quality assurance inspector demographics

Here are the differences between operational test mechanics' and quality assurance inspectors' demographics:

	Operational Test Mechanic	Quality Assurance Inspector
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 92.1% Female, 7.9%	Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 9.1% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between operational test mechanic and quality assurance inspector duties and responsibilities

Operational test mechanic example responsibilities.

Box build sub-assembly level by solder wire into connector, lead, and fan according to MPI and visuals aid.
Perform basic QC for components and complete system.
Provide construction and testing of electro-mechanical sub-assemblies for high quality medical equipment build from blueprints and schematics.
Ensure that daily automate regression testing is running and completing successfully.

Quality assurance inspector example responsibilities.

Coordinate joint surveys with SATORP inspectors and manage clearance of all issue active LBE and NCR.
Work with IPC and ISO regulations.
Examine parts for damage or excessive wear using micrometers and gauges and other specialize test equipment.
Measure dimensions of products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as rulers, calipers or micrometers.
Inspect and measure surgical steel medical devices for critical dimensions, checking tolerance using micrometers and calipers reading from blueprint designs.
Qualify coating systems and painters to ASTM standards.

Operational test mechanic vs quality assurance inspector skills

Common operational test mechanic skills

R, 44%
Functional Test, 38%
QC, 18%

Common quality assurance inspector skills

Calipers, 7%
Micrometers, 6%
Corrective Action, 5%
Safety Standards, 5%
Inspection Reports, 4%
Quality Standards, 4%

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Operational Test Mechanic vs Quality Assurance Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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