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The differences between principal quality engineers and quality control supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a principal quality engineer, becoming a quality control supervisor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a principal quality engineer has an average salary of $103,677, which is higher than the $63,930 average annual salary of a quality control supervisor.
The top three skills for a principal quality engineer include sigma, corrective action and ISO. The most important skills for a quality control supervisor are safety procedures, product quality, and food safety.
| Principal Quality Engineer | Quality Control Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $103,677 | $63,930 |
| Hourly rate | $49.84 | $30.74 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 120,965 | 110,617 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
Principal quality engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for providing quality engineering support and technical guidance to help the quality activities of a project. They are required to supervise the quality management system to monitor the progress of projects and ensure their timely deliveries. They must provide quality assurance (QA) solutions while evaluating the efficiency of their existing QA processes. Principal quality engineers must also identify technical risks and challenges by suggesting corrective actions and QA process improvements.
A quality control supervisor specializes in carrying out and implementing systems and procedures that ensure product quality within an organization. They are primarily responsible for devising priorities and standards, managing schedules to abide by the production timeline, monitoring activities, coordinating with production and quality control personnel, assessing employee performance, and thoroughly discussing new systems for all staff. There are also instances when a quality control supervisor must perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and assessments, responding to calls and correspondence, even disseminating notices.
Principal quality engineers and quality control supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Quality Engineer | Quality Control Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $103,677 | $63,930 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $133,000 | Between $46,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Wyoming |
| Best paying company | Palo Alto Networks | AbbVie |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a principal quality engineer and a quality control supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Principal Quality Engineer | Quality Control Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | New York University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between principal quality engineers' and quality control supervisors' demographics:
| Principal Quality Engineer | Quality Control Supervisor | |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.0% Female, 19.0% | Male, 69.7% Female, 30.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.4% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 4.4% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 6% |