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The differences between quality assurance representatives and quality assurance specialists 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 representative and a quality assurance specialist. Additionally, a quality assurance specialist has an average salary of $63,443, which is higher than the $43,867 average annual salary of a quality assurance representative.
The top three skills for a quality assurance representative include maintenance procedures, patients and safety procedures. The most important skills for a quality assurance specialist are GMP, patients, and FDA.
| Quality Assurance Representative | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $43,867 | $63,443 |
| Hourly rate | $21.09 | $30.50 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 69,120 | 83,505 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Quality assurance inspectors are responsible for inspecting, testing, and sampling products, materials, or parts for any defects and deviations from company standards. They are tasks to reject any materials, equipment, and products that don't meet specifications. It is their job to discuss inspection results with personnel responsible for the products, and suggest needed corrective actions. To be qualified as a quality assurance inspector, one should have a high school diploma and a college degree, attentive to detail, and have excellent communication skills.
A quality assurance specialist is an individual who is responsible for monitoring, inspecting, and proposing measures to correct and improve a company's product. Quality assurance specialists need to outline quality assurance policies and procedures, making sure that quality standards are assured. It is important that a quality assurance specialist should have strong attention to detail and is excellent in data collection. This work may require a minimum of bachelor's degree and certification to get certified.
Quality assurance representatives and quality assurance specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Representative | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Average salary | $43,867 | $63,443 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $79,000 | Between $41,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Lompoc, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Eli Lilly and Company | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Government | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance representative and a quality assurance specialist in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Representative | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between quality assurance representatives' and quality assurance specialists' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Representative | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.8% Female, 39.2% | Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2% |
| 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% |