How to hire a quality assurance engineering manager

How to hire a quality assurance engineering manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step quality assurance engineering manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a quality assurance engineering manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new quality assurance engineering manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a quality assurance engineering manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The quality assurance engineering manager hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A quality assurance engineering manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, quality assurance engineering managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of quality assurance engineering managers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Quality Assurance Engineering Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Quality Assurance Engineering Manager	Industrial production managers oversee the daily operations of manufacturing and related plants. They coordinate, plan, and direct the activities used to create a wide range of goods, such as cars, computer equipment, or paper products.	$43-82
   Director Of Quality	In the manufacturing industry, a director of quality is primarily in charge of spearheading and overseeing the daily operations in a quality assurance department. They work to ensure that products adhere to the company's quality standards and industry regulations by conducting research and assessments, developing quality test systems, and reviewing reports... Show more	$47-87
   Quality Lead	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... Show more	$30-61

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Corrective Action
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Java
   • Sigma
   • ISO
   • Lean Six Sigma
   • Quality Management System
   • AS9100
   • Quality Standards
   • R
   • Process Improvement
   • Supplier Quality
   • Test Procedures
   • Scrum

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead the company to Boeing D1-9000 and AS9100 certification.
   • Achieve API 6FD fire testing approval for check valve product line.
   • Manage initial USDA regulatory visits, working collaboratively with USDA inspectors leading audit preparation and follow-up activities and reports.
   • Develop teams for the supplier quality program for compliance to ISO and FDA regulations including supplier selection, evaluation and maintenance.
   • Prepare and maintain PPAP, APQP, control plan, PFMEAS and other OEM require documentation.
   • Discover, report, complete risk mitigation, and resolve a key characteristic test failure using SPC analysis.

   More quality assurance engineering manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your quality assurance engineering manager job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A quality assurance engineering manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a quality assurance engineering manager in Wisconsin may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level quality assurance engineering manager usually earns less than a senior-level quality assurance engineering manager. Additionally, a quality assurance engineering manager with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average quality assurance engineering manager salary

   $124,894yearly

   $60.05 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level quality assurance engineering manager salary

   $90,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average quality assurance engineering manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$162,921	$78
   2	Washington	$130,499	$63
   3	New Jersey	$129,570	$62
   4	Massachusetts	$123,261	$59
   5	Maryland	$120,820	$58
   6	Virginia	$120,809	$58
   7	New York	$119,581	$57
   8	Michigan	$119,198	$57
   9	Oregon	$118,564	$57
   10	Utah	$118,546	$57
   11	Connecticut	$118,099	$57
   12	Pennsylvania	$117,496	$56
   13	Illinois	$113,540	$55
   14	Minnesota	$113,430	$55
   15	Texas	$111,068	$53
   16	Florida	$110,202	$53
   17	Georgia	$102,142	$49
   18	Colorado	$101,914	$49

   Average quality assurance engineering manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$199,405	$95.87	522
   2	Apple	$176,195	$84.71	250
   3	VMware	$175,057	$84.16
   4	Juniper Networks	$171,554	$82.48
   5	Medallia	$169,485	$81.48
   6	Castlight Health	$161,652	$77.72
   7	ServiceNow	$161,227	$77.51	4
   8	Proofpoint	$160,009	$76.93	37
   9	Palo Alto Networks	$159,059	$76.47	3
   10	Zscaler	$158,862	$76.38	5
   11	Conviva	$157,482	$75.71
   12	Electronic Arts	$153,581	$73.84	5
   13	Akamai Technologies	$150,928	$72.56	5
   14	Moody's	$150,589	$72.40	6
   15	KLA	$148,750	$71.51	11
   16	Amazon	$148,687	$71.48	326
   17	SnapLogic	$148,324	$71.31
   18	Clover Network	$146,170	$70.27
   19	Costco Wholesale	$144,791	$69.61	5
   20	BMO Capital Markets	$142,415	$68.47

4. Writing a quality assurance engineering manager job description

   A quality assurance engineering manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a quality assurance engineering manager job description:

   Quality assurance engineering manager job description example

   The Sarepta Therapeutics QA Compliance Unit is seeking to fill a Full-Time position for Sr. Manager, Quality Engineer, to assume primary responsibility for development and maintenance of GxP production quality standards and documentation. This position will encompass both quality assurance and quality control as well as validation verification responsibilities. This includes but is not limited to: defining quality requirements for new products and
   preparing/maintaining
   necessary documentation, monitor production quality performance to identify opportunities for improvement, review and maintenance of quality policies, procedures, etc. for relevance and adherence to Sarepta Quality Management System and patient and regulatory compliance.
   
   Primary responsibilities include:
   
   Develop and implement process to perform Quality technical review and trending of Sarepta product release testing and stability data for GMP laboratories per specifications Develop and implement process to review and maintain quality product specifications to drive timely revisions supported by robust justifications and technical design documents Notify/ escalate critical events and trends to management that impact the quality of product or manufacturing operations Proactively identify current and future risk and develop integrated action plans to mitigate negative impact Review and approve QMS record management to ensure completeness, compliance, timeliness, and effectiveness Develop and implement process to generate report of QMS and compliance metrics including monthly updates to cross functional QMS owners and in preparation for quarterly Quality Review BoardAct as QAC Lead for investigation activities (Deviations, Laboratory Investigations, CAPA activities, etc.) associated with GMP oversight, OOS, product complaints, including escalation activities as applicable, e.g., field alerts and/or recalls and global regulatory notifications to provide timely and meaningful feedback Guide design and execution of detailed deviation investigation hypothesis testing with pre-defined acceptance criteria as part of root cause analysis with purposes of determining corrective actions to ensure product quality Perform Quality technical review for change control submissions Support Regulatory Inspections and regulatory submissions Author, review, and approve of GMP Controlled DocumentsDraft, edit, revise and update as necessary all documents associated with the QMS, Quality Manual, and Site Master File.Write and coordinates product annual product reviews with Sarepta internal reviewers and applicable CMOs/Contract testing labs Participate in special projects as assigned
   
   Desired Education and Skills:
   B.S. or B.A. degree (preferably in Life Science) and ten years relevant experience in the pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical industry Quality professional with 5+ years of hands-on experience with increasing responsibility in a QA and/or Quality Engineering function Excellent leadership and management skills, prior supervisory experience in a pharmaceutical environment Significant GMP experience in either clinical and/ or commercial products, global experience Extensive knowledge of US GxP compliance regulations and industry practices, as well as EU GMP requirements Extensive knowledge of GMP Quality Management System (QMS) oversight for compliance Excellent communication and organizational skills, as well as negotiation, influencing, and collaboration skills, and demonstrated ability to work cross functionally across internal stakeholders Proficient in building consensus, negotiating, and escalating issues and risk management Good understanding of the importance and use of quality metrics US FDA/EU inspection experience (participating or leading) Demonstrated continues improvement experience (i.e., six sigma certification) Excellent command of spoken and written English language; the ability to clearly express complex ideas verbally and in writing Ability to perform statistical analysis Ability to handle high pressure environment associated with meeting deadlines Ability to collaborate and get along well with co-workers Independent: able to work with minimal supervision; demonstrate initiative and self-direction Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and to deliver results accurately and on time Interpersonal skills including teamwork, listening, giving feedback, giving instructions, and conflict resolution
   
   This position is a facility-dependent role which requires work on site at one of Sarepta's facilities in the United States. Candidates should be aware that Sarepta currently maintains a policy requiring all US-based workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to work on site. Facility dependent contractors must be vaccinated prior to their start date. Sarepta is an equal opportunity employer and will honor any reasonable accommodation that a contractor has in place with his or her employer, where it is not an undue hardship to the company to do so as provided under federal, state, and local law.
   
   Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S.
   Sarepta Therapeutics offers a competitive compensation and benefit package.
   Sarepta Therapeutics is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and participates in e-Verify.
   
   #LI-ES1

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find quality assurance engineering managers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any quality assurance engineering managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level quality assurance engineering managers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your quality assurance engineering manager job on Zippia to find and recruit quality assurance engineering manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting quality assurance engineering managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new quality assurance engineering manager

   Once you've selected the best quality assurance engineering manager candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new quality assurance engineering manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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