How To Become A Quality Associate: What It Is and Career Path

What is a quality associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Everyone loves high-quality products. Whether it's a meal, a piece of clothing, or a car, we all want to feel happy about paying a certain amount of money for what we like to use. But how can manufacturers be sure that a certain product is of good quality? Well, pay someone to check it out. That's the job of the Quality Associate. This person is in charge of reviewing the company's production lines to ensure that both the process and the final product meet the minimum quality standards.

The evaluation process carried out by the Quality Associate has several phases and involves many departments. The work begins with the evaluation of the raw materials, the control of the production route, and the testing of the final product. This does not mean that the Quality Associate is going to try on all the clothes, taste all the food, or drive all the cars that are manufactured, but he/she does have to propose work strategies so that the results are always excellent and reproducible.

Almost half of the people who aspire to be Quality Associates have a bachelor's degree. Careers in business and sales are the most popular among these individuals, but there are also experts in quality control who, without having a diploma under their belt, are very good candidates for this job, which offers around $64,000 a year.

ScoreQuality AssociateUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $50,300

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.6

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.05%

Asian 11.64%

Black or African American 9.42%

Hispanic or Latino 16.67%

Unknown 6.16%

White 55.05%

Gender

female 55.25%

male 44.75%

Age - 35

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35

Stress level

5.6

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a quality associate

Explore quality associate education requirements

Most common quality associate degrees

Bachelor's

62.2 %

Associate

14.3 %

Master's

8.5 %

Start to develop specific quality associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	9.62%
QA	4.95%
Quality System	4.71%
Quality Specifications	4.65%
Product Quality	4.41%

Complete relevant quality associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New quality associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a quality associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real quality associate resumes.

Gain additional quality associate certifications

Quality associate certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific quality associate certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for quality associates include Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) and Certified Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA).

More About Certifications

Research quality associate duties and responsibilities

Manage document control including initiating and revising procedures, QA approval and implementation of documents.
Participate in all regulatory, corporate and internal audit activities to include FDA, DEA, OSHA and ISO.
Create slideshow for meeting with PowerPoint.
Maintain all quality documents including PPAP, FMEA, etc.

Prepare your quality associate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your quality associate resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a quality associate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable quality associate resume templates

Build a professional quality associate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your quality associate resume.

Apply for quality associate jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a quality associate job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do quality associates rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Quality associate reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2021

Pros

Defined Quality test procedure validated test components and planned integration tests for leading parts manufacture for industry. • Prepares and maintained important company quality control documentations such as quality manuals quality procedure, quality standards and quality assurance • Prepared the final inspection report before the dispatched for the machining process • Resolved machining department complaints, took preventive measure to prevent future complaints and clearly, documented all feedback, Mechanical Engineer for Third Party Inspection jobs in Baroda • Typically deals with several problems of the same time