Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between project quality managers and quality assurance directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a project quality manager and a quality assurance director. Additionally, a quality assurance director has an average salary of $140,937, which is higher than the $116,803 average annual salary of a project quality manager.
The top three skills for a project quality manager include project management, continuous improvement and project quality. The most important skills for a quality assurance director are continuous improvement, quality standards, and oversight.
| Project Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Director | |
| Yearly salary | $116,803 | $140,937 |
| Hourly rate | $56.16 | $67.76 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 164,861 | 66,888 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The role of a project quality manager is to spearhead and oversee the quality control and assurance procedures for various projects. They typically coordinate with project managers to identify the projects' needs and goals, ensuring timeliness and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities also include managing quality control and assurance teams, setting goals and objectives, establishing guidelines, and developing strategies to optimize operations. Furthermore, as a manager, it is their duty to lead and encourage teams to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
The job of a quality assurance (QA) director is to oversee all QA functions across the company. Your duties typically include working closely with other department heads to deliver high-quality products on time, hiring managers and analysts, and establishing and maintaining a quality system to make sure that company guidelines and regulatory standards are met. Additionally, you will be responsible for ensuring quality by monitoring, appraising job results, and planning. You are also expected to maintain technical and professional knowledge by reviewing professional publications, participating in professional associations, and attending workshops.
Project quality managers and quality assurance directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Director | |
| Average salary | $116,803 | $140,937 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $159,000 | Between $97,000 And $203,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fremont, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Tesla | Upstart Network |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Professional |
There are a few differences between a project quality manager and a quality assurance director in terms of educational background:
| Project Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between project quality managers' and quality assurance directors' demographics:
| Project Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Director | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.9% Female, 30.1% | Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 9.0% White, 69.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 9.1% White, 69.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |