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The differences between quality assurance leads and senior quality analysts 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 senior quality analyst. Additionally, a quality assurance lead has an average salary of $94,758, which is higher than the $89,722 average annual salary of a senior quality analyst.
The top three skills for a quality assurance lead include QA, test cases and test plan. The most important skills for a senior quality analyst are data analysis, test cases, and QA.
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Quality Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $94,758 | $89,722 |
| Hourly rate | $45.56 | $43.14 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 82,242 | 126,363 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| 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.
A senior quality assurance analyst specializes in inspecting and assessing the quality of software and systems in a company, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities include developing specific test structures, coordinating with different departments to gather data, troubleshooting, and studying client complaints to prevent issues from happening again. They may also perform regular maintenance checks, recommending solutions as needed. Furthermore, as a senior quality assurance analyst, it is essential to lead the quality assurance efforts on systems, all while serving as a mentor and role model to junior analysts.
Quality assurance leads and senior quality analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Quality Analyst | |
| Average salary | $94,758 | $89,722 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $123,000 | Between $71,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Finance |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance lead and a senior quality analyst in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Quality Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between quality assurance leads' and senior quality analysts' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Quality Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% | Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2% |
| 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% |