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The differences between quality control directors and quality leads 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 lead. Additionally, a quality control director has an average salary of $108,193, which is higher than the $90,301 average annual salary of a quality lead.
The top three skills for a quality control director include continuous improvement, oversight and FDA. The most important skills for a quality lead are continuous improvement, product quality, and quality standards.
| Quality Control Director | Quality Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $108,193 | $90,301 |
| Hourly rate | $52.02 | $43.41 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 86,245 | 62,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
A quality assurance (QA) lead is responsible for organizing and managing the testing of products prior to its release. Your duties will include defining testing standards and strategies, establishing formal QA processes, and overseeing all aspects of QA, such as using best practices and establishing metrics. Additionally, you are responsible for supervising and mentoring QA team members, and developing and implementing scripts, test cases, and procedures. You are also responsible for managing off quality products and developing and institutionalizing ISO complaints.
Quality control directors and quality leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Control Director | Quality Lead | |
| Average salary | $108,193 | $90,301 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $149,000 | Between $63,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Genentech | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a quality control director and a quality lead in terms of educational background:
| Quality Control Director | Quality Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between quality control directors' and quality leads' demographics:
| Quality Control Director | Quality Lead | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% | Male, 58.7% Female, 41.3% |
| 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, 13.1% Asian, 9.1% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |