Quality assurance scientist vs quality assurance auditor

The differences between quality assurance scientists and quality assurance auditors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality assurance auditor has an average salary of $77,535, which is higher than the $68,108 average annual salary of a quality assurance scientist.

The top three skills for a quality assurance scientist include GMP, FDA and ISO. The most important skills for a quality assurance auditor are patients, ISO, and clinical trials.

Quality assurance scientist vs quality assurance auditor overview

	Quality Assurance Scientist	Quality Assurance Auditor
Yearly salary	$68,108	$77,535
Hourly rate	$32.74	$37.28
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	106,373	79,931
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	38	44
Years of experience	-	-

What does a quality assurance scientist do?

In a manufacturing setting, a quality assurance scientist specializes in utilizing scientific procedures in ensuring that products adhere to a company's quality standards and policies. Their responsibilities include developing quality control procedures, conducting experiments and analysis, identifying areas needing improvement, implementing solutions in problem areas, and maintaining detailed records of results. Furthermore, as a quality assurance scientist, it is essential to keep an active communication line with the quality assurance team, coordinating every step of the way for an efficient and safe workflow.

What does a quality assurance auditor do?

Quality assurance (QA) analysts are responsible for testing company products and processes. Through testing, QA analysts ensure that the product or process is ready for production. They check whether the process meets company standards and guidelines, as well as any standards related to the industry they are in. QA analysts are in charge of determining the root cause of any problems that they may encounter. They also try to solve these as soon as possible. They also ensure that the company's products meet user expectations as well as the company's brand promise.

Quality assurance scientist vs quality assurance auditor salary

Quality assurance scientists and quality assurance auditors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Quality Assurance Scientist	Quality Assurance Auditor
Average salary	$68,108	$77,535
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $93,000	Between $49,000 And $122,000
Highest paying City	Central Islip, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	Lantheus	Regeneron
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Pharmaceutical

Differences between quality assurance scientist and quality assurance auditor education

There are a few differences between a quality assurance scientist and a quality assurance auditor in terms of educational background:

	Quality Assurance Scientist	Quality Assurance Auditor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Biology	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Quality assurance scientist vs quality assurance auditor demographics

Here are the differences between quality assurance scientists' and quality assurance auditors' demographics:

	Quality Assurance Scientist	Quality Assurance Auditor
Average age	38	44
Gender ratio	Male, 47.8% Female, 52.2%	Male, 46.0% Female, 54.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 15.2% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 12.2% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between quality assurance scientist and quality assurance auditor duties and responsibilities

Quality assurance scientist example responsibilities.

Manage a LIMS system for electronic entering, maintaining and retrieval of sample data and quality management.
Manage investigation reports for equipment maintenance and calibration OOS.
Evaluate all microbiology standard operating procedures for compliance to applicable regulations; GMP, USP, EP, and JP.
Record results using the LIMS system and release final batches.
Investigate when non-conformance results (OOS, OOT) are observed and document findings.
Operate sophisticated computer-control instrument like HPLC, GC-MS.

Quality assurance auditor example responsibilities.

Manage post-audit activities and follow-up s on any necessary CAPA require resolving majority of deviations/investigations.
Lead cross functional project team to build user-friendly windows base customer support applications which interface with the OmniPlan/OmniPlus mainframe application.
Analyze and underwrite VA and FHA loans according to FNMA, FHLMC, regulatory and bank underwriting guidelines.
Educate staff and officers of third party lending partners on procedures and requirements for FHA, VA and USDA home loans.
Ensure loan documents are compliant with RESPA TILA guidelines.
Prepare correspondence; including TILA and RESPA disclosures, responding to OFAC queries and other OFAC relate matters.

Quality assurance scientist vs quality assurance auditor skills

Common quality assurance scientist skills

GMP, 8%
FDA, 6%
ISO, 5%
Data Analysis, 5%
Microbiology, 5%
CAPA, 4%

Common quality assurance auditor skills

Patients, 10%
ISO, 7%
Clinical Trials, 5%
FDA, 5%
Quality Assurance Audits, 5%
GMP, 4%

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Quality Assurance Scientist
Quality Assurance Scientist vs Quality Assurance Auditor

Updated January 8, 2025

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