Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between quality assurance specialists and quality assurance associates 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 specialist and a quality assurance associate. Additionally, a quality assurance specialist has an average salary of $63,443, which is higher than the $61,473 average annual salary of a quality assurance associate.
The top three skills for a quality assurance specialist include GMP, patients and FDA. The most important skills for a quality assurance associate are excellent interpersonal, customer service, and GMP.
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $63,443 | $61,473 |
| Hourly rate | $30.50 | $29.55 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 83,505 | 62,324 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A quality assurance associate's role is to oversee the production operations in a manufacturing plant or a similar setting, ensuring quality standards throughout the entire process. Most of the time, a quality assurance associate must perform workforce assessments, provide training to new employees, produce or approve documentation and progress reports, and collaborate with colleagues to ensure that everything is running smoothly and complies with the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, there are instances when one must address issues and concerns, providing them with the necessary corrective measures.
Quality assurance specialists and quality assurance associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Average salary | $63,443 | $61,473 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $97,000 | Between $44,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New York |
| Best paying company | Apple | Citi |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance specialist and a quality assurance associate in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Accounting |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between quality assurance specialists' and quality assurance associates' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Quality Assurance Associate | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2% | Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7% |
| 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% |