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The differences between quality assurance leads and senior test 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 test engineer. Additionally, a quality assurance lead has an average salary of $94,758, which is higher than the $82,775 average annual salary of a senior test engineer.
The top three skills for a quality assurance lead include QA, test cases and test plan. The most important skills for a senior test engineer are test cases, python, and java.
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,758 | $82,775 |
| Hourly rate | $45.56 | $39.80 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 82,242 | 245,814 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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 test engineer is an individual who is responsible for developing and implementing cost-effective methods of testing and troubleshooting computer systems and equipment. Senior test engineers must assist junior engineers in developing test plans and conducting testing activities on complex systems to meet program requirements. They aid in the areas of predictability, manufacturing processing, and improvement in the equipment and process. Senior test engineers must also develop proposal inputs and reviews documents generated by junior engineers.
Quality assurance leads and senior test engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Average salary | $94,758 | $82,775 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $123,000 | Between $63,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance lead and a senior test engineer in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between quality assurance leads' and senior test engineers' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Lead | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% | Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9% |
| 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% |