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The differences between product quality engineers and quality leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a product quality engineer, becoming a quality lead takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product quality engineer has an average salary of $94,173, which is higher than the $90,301 average annual salary of a quality lead.
The top three skills for a product quality engineer include product quality, continuous improvement and sigma. The most important skills for a quality lead are continuous improvement, product quality, and quality standards.
| Product Quality Engineer | Quality Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $94,173 | $90,301 |
| Hourly rate | $45.28 | $43.41 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 152,621 | 62,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A product quality engineer is responsible for conducting quality check procedures for outputs and manufacturing processes to ensure high-quality deliverables according to business requirements and client specifications. Product quality engineers implement quality assessment criteria with strict adherence to internal guidelines and regulatory policies. They inspect the tools and equipment used for the production and solve inconsistencies, recommending and writing process reports to prevent fault reoccurrence that may affect product standards and market quality and cause distribution delays.
A quality assurance (QA) lead is responsible for organizing and managing the testing of products prior to its release. Your duties will include defining testing standards and strategies, establishing formal QA processes, and overseeing all aspects of QA, such as using best practices and establishing metrics. Additionally, you are responsible for supervising and mentoring QA team members, and developing and implementing scripts, test cases, and procedures. You are also responsible for managing off quality products and developing and institutionalizing ISO complaints.
Product quality engineers and quality leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Quality Engineer | Quality Lead | |
| Average salary | $94,173 | $90,301 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $124,000 | Between $63,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a product quality engineer and a quality lead in terms of educational background:
| Product Quality Engineer | Quality Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between product quality engineers' and quality leads' demographics:
| Product Quality Engineer | Quality Lead | |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2% | Male, 58.7% Female, 41.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 15.1% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 9.1% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 8% |