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The differences between quality assurance leads and quality assurance representatives 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 lead and a quality assurance representative. Additionally, a quality assurance lead has an average salary of $94,758, which is higher than the $43,867 average annual salary of a quality assurance representative.
The top three skills for a quality assurance lead include QA, test cases and test plan. The most important skills for a quality assurance representative are maintenance procedures, patients, and safety procedures.
| Quality Assurance Lead | Quality Assurance Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $94,758 | $43,867 |
| Hourly rate | $45.56 | $21.09 |
| Growth rate | - | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 82,242 | 69,120 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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 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. It is their job to discuss inspection results with personnel responsible for the products, and suggest needed corrective actions. To be qualified as a quality assurance inspector, one should have a high school diploma and a college degree, attentive to detail, and have excellent communication skills.
Quality assurance leads and quality assurance representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Lead | Quality Assurance Representative | |
| Average salary | $94,758 | $43,867 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $123,000 | Between $24,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Lompoc, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Eli Lilly and Company |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Government |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance lead and a quality assurance representative in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Lead | Quality Assurance Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between quality assurance leads' and quality assurance representatives' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Lead | Quality Assurance Representative | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% | Male, 60.8% Female, 39.2% |
| 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% |