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The differences between quality assurance leads and senior quality assurance engineers 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 engineer. Additionally, a senior quality assurance engineer has an average salary of $106,802, which is higher than the $94,758 average annual salary of a quality assurance lead.
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 engineer are QA, java, and python.
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,758 | $106,802 |
| Hourly rate | $45.56 | $51.35 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 82,242 | 254,258 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| 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 engineer oversees the testing procedures conducted in software development, ensuring technical accuracy and efficiency. They are primarily responsible for working alongside software designers and quality engineers, reviewing quality control reports, inspecting specifications, and devising particular test procedures. Moreover, it is also essential to troubleshoot issues and identify any inconsistencies or bugs. As someone with more experience in the team, they must supervise and serve as a mentor to the younger quality assurance engineers in the joint effort to develop efficient software.
Quality assurance leads and senior quality assurance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $94,758 | $106,802 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $123,000 | Between $82,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance lead and a senior quality assurance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between quality assurance leads' and senior quality assurance engineers' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% | Male, 68.0% Female, 32.0% |
| 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% |