Quality control director vs laboratory manager

The differences between quality control directors and laboratory managers 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 control director and a laboratory manager. Additionally, a quality control director has an average salary of $108,193, which is higher than the $74,314 average annual salary of a laboratory manager.

The top three skills for a quality control director include continuous improvement, oversight and FDA. The most important skills for a laboratory manager are lab equipment, patients, and customer service.

Quality control director vs laboratory manager overview

	Quality Control Director	Laboratory Manager
Yearly salary	$108,193	$74,314
Hourly rate	$52.02	$35.73
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	86,245	43,321
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

What does a quality control director do?

A quality control director oversees a company's quality control operations, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. They have the authority to make decisions, set goals, establish timelines and guidelines, delegate responsibilities and budgets among teams, liaise with key external partners, review documents, negotiate contracts, and develop strategies to optimize operations. They also monitor the workflow and performance of employees, addressing concerns and issues should they arise. Moreover, a quality control director leads and encourages the employees to reach goals, all while implementing the company's standards and regulations.

What does a laboratory manager do?

Laboratory managers provide accurate laboratory diagnosis through evaluating specimen procedures and coordinating with pathologists to validate laboratory findings. They are responsible for maintaining laboratory tools and equipment, ensuring the proper sterilization of instruments before and after use, organizing equipment based on its function, and immediately repairing or replacing defective items. A laboratory manager also secures the confidentiality of laboratory systems, keeping records of results, and releasing information to the appropriate personnel. Laboratory managers must have a broad knowledge of the scientific industry, as well as excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills.

Quality control director vs laboratory manager salary

Quality control directors and laboratory managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Quality Control Director	Laboratory Manager
Average salary	$108,193	$74,314
Salary range	Between $78,000 And $149,000	Between $49,000 And $111,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	Genentech	Meta
Best paying industry	Finance	Pharmaceutical

Differences between quality control director and laboratory manager education

There are a few differences between a quality control director and a laboratory manager in terms of educational background:

	Quality Control Director	Laboratory Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Biology
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Quality control director vs laboratory manager demographics

Here are the differences between quality control directors' and laboratory managers' demographics:

	Quality Control Director	Laboratory Manager
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6%	Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 9.2% White, 69.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between quality control director and laboratory manager duties and responsibilities

Quality control director example responsibilities.

Provide quality oversight for the company, managing QA/QC staff on various quality functions and quality improvement initiatives.
Manage product release and distribution; review and approve batch records and analytical data packages for API and finish drug products.
Organize and manage SharePoint site for tracking and documentation purposes
Provide guidance and troubleshooting with HPLC, GC, and wet chemistry techniques.
Advise management on U.S. and foreign regulatory requirements and serve as liaison with FDA and other regulatory agencies.
Establish quality standards for GMP manufacturing including use of appropriate materials, environmental control, and in- process/final product safety testing.

Laboratory manager example responsibilities.

Lead laboratory investigations, OOS, deviations, change controls and CAPA.
Manage daily personnel challenges, assist with marketing and maintain appropriate standards and regulations per JCAHO, DNV.
Manage staff and oversee FDA guidelines and regulations for pharmaceutical research
Initiate and manage successful in-house design and implementation of network base LIMS database.
Manage curriculum development, authore and publish lab manuals in physiology and ecology.
Manage daily laboratory operations including personnel, client consulting, analyses and adherence to GLP protocols.

Quality control director vs laboratory manager skills

Common quality control director skills

Continuous Improvement, 6%
Oversight, 6%
FDA, 6%
GMP, 5%
Product Quality, 5%
Regulatory Agencies, 4%

Common laboratory manager skills

Lab Equipment, 12%
Patients, 9%
Customer Service, 7%
Chemistry, 6%
Clinical Laboratory, 5%
Lab Safety, 5%

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Quality Control Director
Quality Control Director vs Laboratory Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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