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The differences between quality assurance leads and senior quality assurance 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 assurance analyst. Additionally, a quality assurance lead has an average salary of $94,758, which is higher than the $93,563 average annual salary of a senior quality assurance 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 assurance analyst are QA, manual test cases, and regression.
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $94,758 | $93,563 |
| Hourly rate | $45.56 | $44.98 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 82,242 | 123,719 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| 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.
Senior quality assurance analysts are responsible for developing and implementing quality assurance standards within an organization. They collect and analyze data to reinforce proposed projects, systems requirements, and business cases. These will include writing scripts and test plans to monitor errors and fixes in product and software development, operational systems, and information systems. Besides, they are also responsible for several tasks, including preparing reports and recommendations, communicating with suppliers and vendors in assessing applications, and conducting internal audits.
Quality assurance leads and senior quality assurance analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Average salary | $94,758 | $93,563 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $123,000 | Between $74,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Riot Games |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Finance |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance lead and a senior quality assurance analyst in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | - |
Here are the differences between quality assurance leads' and senior quality assurance analysts' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% | Male, 52.8% Female, 47.2% |
| 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% |