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The differences between quality assurance consultants and quality specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality assurance consultant has an average salary of $86,486, which is higher than the $65,230 average annual salary of a quality specialist.
The top three skills for a quality assurance consultant include QA, manual test cases and regression. The most important skills for a quality specialist are customer service, data analysis, and continuous improvement.
| Quality Assurance Consultant | Quality Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $86,486 | $65,230 |
| Hourly rate | $41.58 | $31.36 |
| Growth rate | - | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 91,395 | 80,316 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A quality assurance consultant specializes in recommending and optimizing quality-control procedures ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They typically conduct research and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of current quality control operations, implement solutions on problem areas, review policies and regulations, and coordinate with other staff to gather necessary data, analyzing them to find new opportunities for improvement. Furthermore, as a quality assurance consultant, it is essential to recommend solutions in adherence to the company's policies and regulations, including its mission and vision.
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 consultants and quality specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Consultant | Quality Specialist | |
| Average salary | $86,486 | $65,230 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $110,000 | Between $43,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | California |
| Best paying company | Southern California Edison | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance consultant and a quality specialist in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Consultant | Quality Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between quality assurance consultants' and quality specialists' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Consultant | Quality Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.9% Female, 42.1% | 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% |