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The differences between quality assurances and quality assurance leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a quality assurance and a quality assurance lead. Additionally, a quality assurance lead has an average salary of $94,758, which is higher than the $51,313 average annual salary of a quality assurance.
The top three skills for a quality assurance include test cases, food handling and java. The most important skills for a quality assurance lead are QA, test cases, and test plan.
| Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $51,313 | $94,758 |
| Hourly rate | $24.67 | $45.56 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 69,366 | 82,242 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The primary role of quality assurance specialists is to inspect the quality system's implementation and perform quality assurance audits. They are responsible for monitoring and recording results from procedures and processes within manufacturing industries. They are also responsible for some other tasks, including keeping up-to-date manufacturing and auditing documentation, training less experienced QA team members, and creating standard operating procedures. To be a quality assurance specialist, you must have a high school diploma, organizational skills, and strong attention to detail.
A quality assurance lead, also known as QA Lead, is responsible for conducting necessary quality tests and analyses for software program and development. As a quality assurance lead, they must take the lead in ensuring quality during development by proactively performing critical evaluations, troubleshooting, and providing precise documentation. It is also essential to identify issues and resolve them as soon as possible. Furthermore, a quality assurance lead must maintain an active line of communication and coordination as most of the work will be in a team setting.
Quality assurances and quality assurance leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average salary | $51,313 | $94,758 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $92,000 | Between $72,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Retail |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance and a quality assurance lead in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between quality assurances' and quality assurance leads' demographics:
| Quality Assurance | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |