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The differences between quality assurance associates and quality specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality specialist has an average salary of $65,230, which is higher than the $61,473 average annual salary of a quality assurance associate.
The top three skills for a quality assurance associate include excellent interpersonal, customer service and GMP. The most important skills for a quality specialist are customer service, data analysis, and continuous improvement.
| Quality Assurance Associate | Quality Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $61,473 | $65,230 |
| Hourly rate | $29.55 | $31.36 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 62,324 | 80,316 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A quality assurance associate's role is to oversee the production operations in a manufacturing plant or a similar setting, ensuring quality standards throughout the entire process. Most of the time, a quality assurance associate must perform workforce assessments, provide training to new employees, produce or approve documentation and progress reports, and collaborate with colleagues to ensure that everything is running smoothly and complies with the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, there are instances when one must address issues and concerns, providing them with the necessary corrective measures.
Quality control senior scientists ensure that testing, materials, and laboratory equipment are up to standard. In the course of their career, they can expect to perform tests for the quality of manufacturing processes in order to ensure compliance with predetermined criteria, as well as ensuring that final products are safe for sale or distribution. This is a career that requires the skills of teamwork, communication, writing, and prioritization. Also, good attention to detail and some technical skills will be needed.
Quality assurance associates and quality specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Associate | Quality Specialist | |
| Average salary | $61,473 | $65,230 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $84,000 | Between $43,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Citi | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Government |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance associate and a quality specialist in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Associate | Quality Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between quality assurance associates' and quality specialists' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Associate | Quality Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7% | Male, 44.7% Female, 55.3% |
| 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, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |