Quality associate vs quality assurance specialist

The differences between quality associates and quality assurance specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality assurance specialist has an average salary of $63,443, which is higher than the $50,300 average annual salary of a quality associate.

The top three skills for a quality associate include patients, QA and quality system. The most important skills for a quality assurance specialist are GMP, patients, and FDA.

Quality associate vs quality assurance specialist overview

	Quality Associate	Quality Assurance Specialist
Yearly salary	$50,300	$63,443
Hourly rate	$24.18	$30.50
Growth rate	3%	6%
Number of jobs	60,168	83,505
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	38	44
Years of experience	-	4

What does a quality associate do?

A quality associate is responsible for ensuring that a new product meets standards for usage and operating. You will perform various tasks that include assisting in identifying quality problems and improving operational processes, writing, disseminating, and maintaining quality documentation and manuals, and verifying logs and databases to monitor and flag quality issues and improvements. In addition, you are responsible for supporting document control and quality audits, reviewing reports and validation protocols, and investigating and diagnosing quality complaints.

What does a quality assurance specialist do?

A quality assurance specialist is an individual who is responsible for monitoring, inspecting, and proposing measures to correct and improve a company's product. Quality assurance specialists need to outline quality assurance policies and procedures, making sure that quality standards are assured. It is important that a quality assurance specialist should have strong attention to detail and is excellent in data collection. This work may require a minimum of bachelor's degree and certification to get certified.

Quality associate vs quality assurance specialist salary

Quality associates and quality assurance specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Quality Associate	Quality Assurance Specialist
Average salary	$50,300	$63,443
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $80,000	Between $41,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Rhode Island
Best paying company	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	Apple
Best paying industry	Health Care	Pharmaceutical

Differences between quality associate and quality assurance specialist education

There are a few differences between a quality associate and a quality assurance specialist in terms of educational background:

	Quality Associate	Quality Assurance Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Biology	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Quality associate vs quality assurance specialist demographics

Here are the differences between quality associates' and quality assurance specialists' demographics:

	Quality Associate	Quality Assurance Specialist
Average age	38	44
Gender ratio	Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2%	Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 11.6% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	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	8%	11%

Differences between quality associate and quality assurance specialist duties and responsibilities

Quality associate example 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.
Provide management with update PowerPoint graphs monthly, quarterly and yearly.
Chart review for compliance for local policies, TJC and CMS.

Quality assurance specialist example responsibilities.

Manage all NDT relate gauges to ensure calibrations requirements are meet.
Provide employee training and manage all NDT certification records per ASNT SNT-TC-1A.
Lead the HACCP team to ensure full compliance with regulatory and industrial food safety standards.
Manage product and environmental sampling for chemical and microbial analysis to meet HACCP requirements.
Lead cross functional project team to build user-friendly windows base customer support applications which interface with the OmniPlan/OmniPlus mainframe application.
Execute quality processes in tissue banking and medical device, FDA requirements 21 CFR 1271 and 21 CFR 820.

Quality associate vs quality assurance specialist skills

Common quality associate skills

Patients, 10%
QA, 5%
Quality System, 5%
Quality Specifications, 5%
Product Quality, 4%
Customer Service, 4%

Common quality assurance specialist skills

GMP, 6%
Patients, 5%
FDA, 5%
CAPA, 4%
Corrective Action, 4%
CFR, 4%

Quality Associate vs. similar jobs

Quality Associate related careers

Quality Associate related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Quality Associate
Quality Associate vs Quality Assurance Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs