Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between quality assurance managers and quality engineers 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 engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a quality assurance manager has an average salary of $99,894, which is higher than the $79,672 average annual salary of a quality engineer.
The top three skills for a quality assurance manager include continuous improvement, product quality and corrective action. The most important skills for a quality engineer are corrective action, continuous improvement, and ISO.
| Quality Assurance Manager | Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,894 | $79,672 |
| Hourly rate | $48.03 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 62,293 | 96,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| 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 engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
Quality assurance managers and quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Manager | Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $99,894 | $79,672 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $140,000 | Between $61,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance manager and a quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Manager | Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between quality assurance managers' and quality engineers' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Manager | Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.1% Female, 32.9% | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 4% |