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The differences between principal 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 principal quality engineer, becoming a quality manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a principal quality engineer has an average salary of $103,677, which is higher than the $91,357 average annual salary of a quality manager.
The top three skills for a principal quality engineer include sigma, corrective action and ISO. The most important skills for a quality manager are continuous improvement, corrective action, and quality standards.
| Principal Quality Engineer | Quality Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $103,677 | $91,357 |
| Hourly rate | $49.84 | $43.92 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 120,965 | 63,422 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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 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.
Principal quality engineers and quality managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Quality Engineer | Quality Manager | |
| Average salary | $103,677 | $91,357 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $133,000 | Between $64,000 And $128,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Palo Alto Networks | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a principal quality engineer and a quality manager in terms of educational background:
| Principal Quality Engineer | Quality Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | New York University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between principal quality engineers' and quality managers' demographics:
| Principal Quality Engineer | Quality Manager | |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.0% Female, 19.0% | Male, 72.1% Female, 27.9% |
| 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, 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% |