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The differences between quality assurance managers and quality leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a quality assurance manager and a quality lead. Additionally, a quality assurance manager has an average salary of $99,894, which is higher than the $90,301 average annual salary of a quality 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 lead are continuous improvement, product quality, and quality standards.
| Quality Assurance Manager | Quality Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $99,894 | $90,301 |
| Hourly rate | $48.03 | $43.41 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 62,293 | 62,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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 (QA) lead is responsible for organizing and managing the testing of products prior to its release. Your duties will include defining testing standards and strategies, establishing formal QA processes, and overseeing all aspects of QA, such as using best practices and establishing metrics. Additionally, you are responsible for supervising and mentoring QA team members, and developing and implementing scripts, test cases, and procedures. You are also responsible for managing off quality products and developing and institutionalizing ISO complaints.
Quality assurance managers and quality leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Manager | Quality Lead | |
| Average salary | $99,894 | $90,301 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $140,000 | Between $63,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance manager and a quality lead in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Manager | Quality Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between quality assurance managers' and quality leads' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Manager | Quality Lead | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.1% Female, 32.9% | Male, 58.7% Female, 41.3% |
| 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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 9.1% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |