Quality assurance inspector vs senior inspector

The differences between quality assurance inspectors and senior inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior inspector has an average salary of $53,511, which is higher than the $36,842 average annual salary of a quality assurance inspector.

The top three skills for a quality assurance inspector include calipers, micrometers and corrective action. The most important skills for a senior inspector are asphalt, traffic control, and construction inspection.

Quality assurance inspector vs senior inspector overview

	Quality Assurance Inspector	Senior Inspector
Yearly salary	$36,842	$53,511
Hourly rate	$17.71	$25.73
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	74,410	16,842
Job satisfaction	3	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

What does a quality assurance inspector do?

Quality Assurance Auditors are employees who ensure the adherence of other employees to company processes and guidelines. They are expected to be experts on quality assurance processes and procedures. They also have in-depth knowledge of the expected outcomes of such processes to ensure that the company only provides quality products and services. Quality assurance auditors are also familiar with regulatory laws and policies of governing bodies that oversee companies in their particular industry. They ensure that their companies are compliant and may conduct random quality checks every now and then.

What does a senior inspector do?

In the manufacturing industry, a senior inspector is responsible for performing quality assurance procedures to ensure that products adhere to the company's standards and regulations. Among their responsibilities include gathering and analyzing data to study product specifications, performing various examinations and product assessments, identifying issues and inconsistencies, and providing advice to staff as needed. Besides conducting regular inspections, they must also produce progress reports, provide technical guidance and support, and develop quality assurance strategies. Moreover, as a senior inspector, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior inspectors while enforcing the company's policies.

Quality assurance inspector vs senior inspector salary

Quality assurance inspectors and senior inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Quality Assurance Inspector	Senior Inspector
Average salary	$36,842	$53,511
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $49,000	Between $35,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City	Renton, WA	Newington, CT
Highest paying state	Washington	Connecticut
Best paying company	Los Alamos National Laboratory	PBF Energy
Best paying industry	Government	Technology

Differences between quality assurance inspector and senior inspector education

There are a few differences between a quality assurance inspector and a senior inspector in terms of educational background:

	Quality Assurance Inspector	Senior Inspector
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Business	Civil Engineering
Most common college	-	-

Quality assurance inspector vs senior inspector demographics

Here are the differences between quality assurance inspectors' and senior inspectors' demographics:

	Quality Assurance Inspector	Senior Inspector
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3%	Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 9.1% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between quality assurance inspector and senior inspector duties and responsibilities

Quality assurance inspector example responsibilities.

Coordinate joint surveys with SATORP inspectors and manage clearance of all issue active LBE and NCR.
Work with IPC and ISO regulations.
Examine parts for damage or excessive wear using micrometers and gauges and other specialize test equipment.
Measure dimensions of products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as rulers, calipers or micrometers.
Inspect and measure surgical steel medical devices for critical dimensions, checking tolerance using micrometers and calipers reading from blueprint designs.
Qualify coating systems and painters to ASTM standards.

Senior inspector example responsibilities.

Manage contractors and consultants performing compliance relate work including MTR and document control.
Conduct QA tests on questionable motherboards/CPU's and accomplish environmental tests on new PC models.
Coordinate joint surveys with SATORP inspectors and manage clearance of all issue active LBE and NCR.
Maintain active certifications in SMAW, GTAW, FCAW, and GMAW welding processes.
Work with ASME, API, AWS, ANSI, ASTM and NACE codes and specifications.
Experience mostly in GTAW and GMAW welding procedures.

Quality assurance inspector vs senior inspector skills

Common quality assurance inspector skills

Calipers, 7%
Micrometers, 6%
Corrective Action, 5%
Safety Standards, 5%
Inspection Reports, 4%
Quality Standards, 4%

Common senior inspector skills

Asphalt, 10%
Traffic Control, 8%
Construction Inspection, 6%
NDT, 6%
Inspection Reports, 5%
PT, 4%

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Quality Assurance Inspector
Quality Assurance Inspector vs Senior Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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