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The differences between quality assurance managers and quality assurance leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a quality assurance manager, becoming a quality assurance lead takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a quality assurance manager has an average salary of $99,894, which is higher than the $94,758 average annual salary of a quality assurance lead.
The top three skills for a quality assurance manager include continuous improvement, product quality and corrective action. The most important skills for a quality assurance lead are QA, test cases, and test plan.
| Quality Assurance Manager | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $99,894 | $94,758 |
| Hourly rate | $48.03 | $45.56 |
| Growth rate | 3% | - |
| Number of jobs | 62,293 | 82,242 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A Quality Assurance Manager's responsibility varies on the organization or industry where one is assigned. Most of the time, the duties will revolve around quality control, such as overseeing a company's manufacturing operations, ensuring that the process followed all of the necessary protocols, and the products met all of the standards in adherence to the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, one must be able to detect and identify mistakes, conduct constant inspections, coordinate with various staff and supervisors, develop the workforce's quality by training employees, and come up with strategies that will help the company attain financial gains.
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 managers and quality assurance leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Manager | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average salary | $99,894 | $94,758 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $140,000 | Between $72,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Retail |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance manager and a quality assurance lead in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Manager | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between quality assurance managers' and quality assurance leads' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Manager | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.1% Female, 32.9% | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 9.2% White, 69.5% 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 | 8% | 11% |