Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between quality assurance assistants and quality assurance leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a quality assurance assistant and a quality assurance lead. Additionally, a quality assurance lead has an average salary of $94,758, which is higher than the $45,911 average annual salary of a quality assurance assistant.
The top three skills for a quality assurance assistant include data entry, food safety and GMP. The most important skills for a quality assurance lead are QA, test cases, and test plan.
| Quality Assurance Assistant | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $45,911 | $94,758 |
| Hourly rate | $22.07 | $45.56 |
| Growth rate | 3% | - |
| Number of jobs | 67,706 | 82,242 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A quality assurance assistant works to ensure that products and procedures adhere to an organization's quality standards and regulations. In the manufacturing industry, a quality assurance assistant conducts regular inspections and assessments, reviews documentation, coordinates with staff and managers, and develops comprehensive reports. They may also perform various support tasks such as handling calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, and liaising with clients to answer inquiries and resolve issues. Moreover, as a quality assurance assistant, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with team members for a safe and efficient workflow.
A quality assurance lead, also known as QA Lead, is responsible for conducting necessary quality tests and analyses for software program and development. As a quality assurance lead, they must take the lead in ensuring quality during development by proactively performing critical evaluations, troubleshooting, and providing precise documentation. It is also essential to identify issues and resolve them as soon as possible. Furthermore, a quality assurance lead must maintain an active line of communication and coordination as most of the work will be in a team setting.
Quality assurance assistants and quality assurance leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Assistant | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average salary | $45,911 | $94,758 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $85,000 | Between $72,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Citi | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Retail |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance assistant and a quality assurance lead in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Assistant | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between quality assurance assistants' and quality assurance leads' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Assistant | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 11% | 11% |