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The differences between quality assurance directors and quality leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a quality assurance director and a quality lead. Additionally, a quality assurance director has an average salary of $140,937, which is higher than the $90,301 average annual salary of a quality lead.
The top three skills for a quality assurance director include continuous improvement, quality standards and oversight. The most important skills for a quality lead are continuous improvement, product quality, and quality standards.
| Quality Assurance Director | Quality Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $140,937 | $90,301 |
| Hourly rate | $67.76 | $43.41 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 66,888 | 62,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The job of a quality assurance (QA) director is to oversee all QA functions across the company. Your duties typically include working closely with other department heads to deliver high-quality products on time, hiring managers and analysts, and establishing and maintaining a quality system to make sure that company guidelines and regulatory standards are met. Additionally, you will be responsible for ensuring quality by monitoring, appraising job results, and planning. You are also expected to maintain technical and professional knowledge by reviewing professional publications, participating in professional associations, and attending workshops.
A quality assurance (QA) lead is responsible for organizing and managing the testing of products prior to its release. Your duties will include defining testing standards and strategies, establishing formal QA processes, and overseeing all aspects of QA, such as using best practices and establishing metrics. Additionally, you are responsible for supervising and mentoring QA team members, and developing and implementing scripts, test cases, and procedures. You are also responsible for managing off quality products and developing and institutionalizing ISO complaints.
Quality assurance directors and quality leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Director | Quality Lead | |
| Average salary | $140,937 | $90,301 |
| Salary range | Between $97,000 And $203,000 | Between $63,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Upstart Network | |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance director and a quality lead in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Director | Quality Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between quality assurance directors' and quality leads' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Director | Quality Lead | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2% | Male, 58.7% Female, 41.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 9.1% White, 69.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 9.1% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |