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The differences between principal test engineers and quality assurance leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a principal test engineer and a quality assurance lead. Additionally, a principal test engineer has an average salary of $116,493, which is higher than the $94,758 average annual salary of a quality assurance lead.
The top three skills for a principal test engineer include python, C++ and java. The most important skills for a quality assurance lead are QA, test cases, and test plan.
| Principal Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $116,493 | $94,758 |
| Hourly rate | $56.01 | $45.56 |
| Growth rate | 3% | - |
| Number of jobs | 96,539 | 82,242 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Principal Test Engineers test automation tools and frameworks like Selenium, Appium, and Ranorex. They make sure that the software their companies offer is safe and reliable for consumer use. Being a principal test engineer requires testing to influence better software design, promoting good engineering practice, security, testability, scalability, drafting bug prevention strategies, and reliability. They are responsible for defining test goals, preparing and executing system-level functional tests, providing new project forecasts based on the provided information, and improving the current test solutions by reducing the test time, repeat tests, and yield analysis.
A quality assurance lead, also known as QA Lead, is responsible for conducting necessary quality tests and analyses for software program and development. As a quality assurance lead, they must take the lead in ensuring quality during development by proactively performing critical evaluations, troubleshooting, and providing precise documentation. It is also essential to identify issues and resolve them as soon as possible. Furthermore, a quality assurance lead must maintain an active line of communication and coordination as most of the work will be in a team setting.
Principal test engineers and quality assurance leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average salary | $116,493 | $94,758 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $159,000 | Between $72,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a principal test engineer and a quality assurance lead in terms of educational background:
| Principal Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between principal test engineers' and quality assurance leads' demographics:
| Principal Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |