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The differences between project quality managers and quality engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a project quality manager, becoming a quality engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a project quality manager has an average salary of $116,803, which is higher than the $79,672 average annual salary of a quality engineer.
The top three skills for a project quality manager include project management, continuous improvement and project quality. The most important skills for a quality engineer are corrective action, continuous improvement, and ISO.
| Project Quality Manager | Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $116,803 | $79,672 |
| Hourly rate | $56.16 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 164,861 | 96,838 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
A quality engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
Project quality managers and quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Quality Manager | Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $116,803 | $79,672 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $159,000 | Between $61,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fremont, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | Tesla | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Technology |
There are a few differences between a project quality manager and a quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Project Quality Manager | Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between project quality managers' and quality engineers' demographics:
| Project Quality Manager | Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.9% Female, 30.1% | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 4% |