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The differences between quality assurance engineering managers 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 engineering manager and a quality lead. Additionally, a quality assurance engineering manager has an average salary of $124,894, which is higher than the $90,301 average annual salary of a quality lead.
The top three skills for a quality assurance engineering manager include corrective action, continuous improvement and java. The most important skills for a quality lead are continuous improvement, product quality, and quality standards.
| Quality Assurance Engineering Manager | Quality Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $124,894 | $90,301 |
| Hourly rate | $60.05 | $43.41 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 114,803 | 62,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Quality Assurance Engineering Managers require up to five years in any related field and one to three years of supervisory experience, and a healthy and developed set of skills including math, leadership, and crucial thinking. Those who choose this career option can expect an annual salary between $80K and $141K. Their responsibilities involve the development and safeguarding of quality standards for production companies and staff management, production process oversight, data analysis, and strategy planning to ensure higher product quality.
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 engineering managers and quality leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Engineering Manager | Quality Lead | |
| Average salary | $124,894 | $90,301 |
| Salary range | Between $90,000 And $172,000 | Between $63,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance engineering manager and a quality lead in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Engineering Manager | Quality Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between quality assurance engineering managers' and quality leads' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Engineering Manager | Quality Lead | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.1% Female, 14.9% | Male, 58.7% Female, 41.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 69.9% 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% |