Quality control director vs quality assurance director

The differences between quality control directors and quality assurance directors 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 quality assurance director. Additionally, a quality assurance director has an average salary of $140,937, which is higher than the $108,193 average annual salary of a quality control director.

The top three skills for a quality control director include continuous improvement, oversight and FDA. The most important skills for a quality assurance director are continuous improvement, quality standards, and oversight.

Quality control director vs quality assurance director overview

	Quality Control Director	Quality Assurance Director
Yearly salary	$108,193	$140,937
Hourly rate	$52.02	$67.76
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	86,245	66,888
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
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 quality assurance director do?

The job of a quality assurance (QA) director is to oversee all QA functions across the company. Your duties typically include working closely with other department heads to deliver high-quality products on time, hiring managers and analysts, and establishing and maintaining a quality system to make sure that company guidelines and regulatory standards are met. Additionally, you will be responsible for ensuring quality by monitoring, appraising job results, and planning. You are also expected to maintain technical and professional knowledge by reviewing professional publications, participating in professional associations, and attending workshops.

Quality control director vs quality assurance director salary

Quality control directors and quality assurance directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Quality Control Director	Quality Assurance Director
Average salary	$108,193	$140,937
Salary range	Between $78,000 And $149,000	Between $97,000 And $203,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Genentech	Upstart Network
Best paying industry	Finance	Professional

Differences between quality control director and quality assurance director education

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

	Quality Control Director	Quality Assurance Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Quality control director vs quality assurance director demographics

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

	Quality Control Director	Quality Assurance Director
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6%	Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2%
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, 13.0% Asian, 9.1% White, 69.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between quality control director and quality assurance director 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.

Quality assurance director example responsibilities.

Manage the USDA inspection process including coordinating daily production and communicating with federal personnel.
Manage initial USDA regulatory visits, working collaboratively with USDA inspectors leading audit preparation and follow-up activities and reports.
Direct and coordinate quality and regulatory affairs activities to support new product development, improving GMP compliance.
Provide GxP support and oversight for all Genocea development programs.
Set and execute vision for QRM consistent with corporate objectives and ICH Q9.
Develop and update metrics within the QMS to provide meaningful feedback to stakeholders.

Quality control director vs quality assurance director skills

Common quality control director skills

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

Common quality assurance director skills

Continuous Improvement, 8%
Quality Standards, 7%
Oversight, 5%
Test Automation, 5%
Scrum, 4%
FDA, 4%

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Quality Control Director
Quality Control Director vs Quality Assurance Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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