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The differences between quality assurance specialists and requirements managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a quality assurance specialist, becoming a requirements manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a requirements manager has an average salary of $87,310, which is higher than the $63,443 average annual salary of a quality assurance specialist.
The top three skills for a quality assurance specialist include GMP, patients and FDA. The most important skills for a requirements manager are java, client facing, and emerging technologies.
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Requirements Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $63,443 | $87,310 |
| Hourly rate | $30.50 | $41.98 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 83,505 | 64,837 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 8 |
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 Requirements Manager develops and oversees procedures to ensure that projects meet their needs. They focus on identifying project requirements through extensive research and analysis, conceptualizing plans to attain them. There are also instances when they must spearhead product and requirement reviews, identifying their strengths and weaknesses to develop solutions against potential problem areas. Most Requirements Managers manage development teams, leading and encouraging them to reach goals while implementing company standards and regulations for a smooth and efficient workflow.
Quality assurance specialists and requirements managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Requirements Manager | |
| Average salary | $63,443 | $87,310 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $97,000 | Between $56,000 And $135,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | - |
| Best paying company | Apple | - |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | - |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance specialist and a requirements manager in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Requirements Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between quality assurance specialists' and requirements managers' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Requirements Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2% | Male, 66.8% Female, 33.2% |
| 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, 6.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 12.6% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |