How to hire a quality assurance lead

How to hire a quality assurance lead, step by step

Here's a step-by-step quality assurance lead 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 lead job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new quality assurance lead
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a quality assurance lead do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The quality assurance lead 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 lead's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, quality assurance leads 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 leads and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Quality Assurance Lead	Description	Hourly rate
   Quality Assurance Lead	A Quality Assurance Lead is responsible for leading the quality assurance department of a company. They develop quality assurance plans through conducting analyses and monitoring corrective actions.	$34-59
   Quality Analyst	Pumpers are individuals who take responsibility for setting the pumping system controls for product maximization. Their job requires them to set density, concentration, rate, and pressure... Show more	$26-44
   Quality Assurance Representative	Quality assurance inspectors are responsible for inspecting, testing, and sampling products, materials, or parts for any defects and deviations from company standards. They are tasks to reject any materials, equipment, and products that don't meet specifications... Show more	$11-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • QA
   • Test Cases
   • Test Plan
   • Java
   • Status Reports
   • Regression
   • Test Scripts
   • Selenium Webdriver
   • Jira
   • Test Strategy
   • Test Results
   • Test Data
   • Scrum
   • UAT

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop the scenarios in the cucumber scripts and manage the execution through jerkins jobs.
   • Monitor QC lab techs data when need and advise leads of corrective actions to take to ensure help in production efficiency.
   • Maintain coordination between onsite and offshore very smooth with daily status calls and achieve timely and quality deliverable.
   • Create, design, and run test cases in JIRA as well as regression tests evaluating results of modifications.
   • Maintain quality management system in accordance with 009-04 and ISO 9001-2000.
   • Involve in writing complex SQL statements and PL/SQL code to test data flow and to perform data analysis.

   More quality assurance lead duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your quality assurance lead job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A quality assurance lead salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, quality assurance leads' average salary in wyoming is 29% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level quality assurance leads earn 41% less than senior-level quality assurance leads.
   • Certifications. A quality assurance lead with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a quality assurance lead's salary.

   Average quality assurance lead salary

   $94,758yearly

   $45.56 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level quality assurance lead salary

   $72,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 27, 2025

   Average quality assurance lead salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$120,998	$58
   2	Washington	$110,446	$53
   3	New York	$103,330	$50
   4	New Jersey	$102,141	$49
   5	District of Columbia	$100,511	$48
   6	Massachusetts	$95,423	$46
   7	Virginia	$95,114	$46
   8	Pennsylvania	$93,969	$45
   9	Arizona	$92,068	$44
   10	Texas	$90,827	$44
   11	Illinois	$88,222	$42
   12	Minnesota	$87,817	$42
   13	Ohio	$87,448	$42
   14	Michigan	$87,266	$42
   15	North Carolina	$86,876	$42
   16	Georgia	$86,717	$42
   17	Florida	$85,344	$41
   18	Missouri	$85,258	$41
   19	Colorado	$82,784	$40
   20	Nebraska	$81,002	$39

   Average quality assurance lead salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$147,799	$71.06	76
   2	Thrive Global	$146,284	$70.33
   3	PayPal	$139,213	$66.93	1
   4	Apple	$138,239	$66.46	167
   5	Levi Strauss & Co.	$133,052	$63.97
   6	First Republic Bank	$131,260	$63.11
   7	PlayStation	$130,914	$62.94	8
   8	QuinStreet	$130,362	$62.67
   9	Pure Storage	$130,361	$62.67	5
   10	Dotdash	$128,813	$61.93
   11	Rivian	$127,973	$61.53	12
   12	Riot Games	$126,757	$60.94	1
   13	PRO Unlimited	$126,394	$60.77
   14	Open Systems Technologies	$126,264	$60.70	2
   15	HBO	$126,139	$60.64
   16	Intuitive Surgical	$125,870	$60.51	12
   17	Microsoft	$125,411	$60.29	13
   18	Barclays	$125,072	$60.13
   19	Bridgewater Associates	$124,722	$59.96
   20	Starbucks	$124,552	$59.88

4. Writing a quality assurance lead job description

   A quality assurance lead 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 lead job description:

   Quality assurance lead job description example

   About Us:
   Merlin is an early-stage autonomy company, building software to control sophisticated transportation systems. Our mission here at Merlin Labs is to develop hardware and software solutions that deliver the capability for aircraft to fly useful missions autonomously and safely. Our first product will be a certified system to bring automation to existing fixed wing aircraft.
   
   We're backed by some of the top institutional venture capitalists in the country, our headquarters are located in Boston with hubs in Denver, Los Angeles and the Mojave Desert. Come join our diverse, world class team, made up of people from places like Google, Airbus, Boeing, UTC, the US Navy, and the US Air Force.
   
   All of the sky, none of the limits!
   
   About You:
   Do you enjoy hands-on testing at the cutting edge of aerospace technology? Do you enjoy fast paced problem solving? Are you self-motivated and have a critical eye for flight safety and flight test details? Do you love the idea of more widely proliferated and safer flying machines, accessible to all? If so, you might be a good fit to lead our Flight Test Engineering team here at Merlin.
   The Role: Lead our flight test engineering team in supporting development of our autonomy systems by flying early and often.Develop, and drive the application of, the processes we need to prepare for, execute, and analyze our flight tests.Collaborate with hardware, software, flight controls, integration, and flight operation teams to develop test plans, ensure readiness for test, and drive efficient and effective collection of the data we need to test our systems.Participate in flight tests as needed, both onsite and remotely, including building and approving cards, verifying procedures and software via simulation, serving as test director/conductor, and supporting generation of analysis and deficiency reports after flight .This position may require up to 50% travel to our integration / flight test facility in the Mojave area.
   Qualifications:BS in Aerospace Engineering or a related subject.5+ years direct experience with experimental flight test or a combination of equivalent formal training and experience.Knowledge of basic concepts of fixed wing aircraft flight dynamics and control.Enthusiastic willingness to do what needs to be done to help our flight test program succeed, including but not limited to: flying in small airplanes, spending time on site in Mojave, CA during critical testing times, and learning new skills as necessary.Exceptional written and verbal communication and organizational skills.
   Bonus:Flight Test Engineer Professional course (National Test Pilot School, International Test Pilot School, or military test pilot school).Experience using software development environments and tools such as Linux, git, and Jira.Knowledge of Python and/or Matlab, especially for scripting and engineering data analysis.Experience with flight controls product development, including testing and troubleshooting at the system level as well as at the software component level.Pilot experience/qualification.
   
   Merlin Labs offers an innovative, entrepreneurial, and team-focused startup environment. We also offer a top-notch benefits package (health, dental, life, unlimited vacation, and 401k with match) and work/life integration. Being part of the Merlin team allows you to become part of a small team that supports professional development while working together to achieve our mission.
   
   Merlin Labs is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability status. All job offers are contingent upon the candidate passing background, export control and reference checks.
   
   Merlin Labs does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right quality assurance lead for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with quality assurance leads they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit quality assurance leads who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your quality assurance lead job on Zippia to find and recruit quality assurance lead candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit quality assurance leads, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   If your interviews with quality assurance lead applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   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 lead

   Once you've found the quality assurance lead candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new quality assurance lead. 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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