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.
Quality control director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real quality control director resumes:
- 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.
- Inventory of (COA), (COC) from suppliers.
- Assist in the development of a company-wide LIMS system.
- Ensure the top management about effectiveness of CAPA in place.
- Conduct all activities toward qualification and maintenance of QC activities and ISO registration.
- Optimize workflow by eliminating manually written QC records and using the LIMS system and eliminating unnecessary tests.
- Provide authoring, review, filing, and coordination through the registering as an outsourcing facility with the FDA.
- Develop and organize a titration laboratory.
- Provide oversight of equipment maintenance and calibration activities.
- Identify solvent oxidation, resolving aberrant preservative assays and implement CAPA.
Quality control director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 6% of Quality Control Directors are proficient in Continuous Improvement, Oversight, and FDA. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Leadership skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Quality Control Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Continuous Improvement, 6%
Developed continuous improvement initiatives for the repair station quality management program to support air carrier customer quality requirements.
- Oversight, 6%
Provided oversight of Quality Control activities such as implementation of efficiency and re-engineering programs to improve overall laboratory operation.
- FDA, 6%
Manage the Quality Control Department, ensuring compliance with all regulatory agencies, including the FDA and international pharmaceutical regulatory agencies.
- GMP, 5%
Established quality standards for GMP manufacturing including use of appropriate materials, environmental control, and in- process/final product safety testing.
- Product Quality, 5%
Managed suppliers and implemented incoming inspection process, improved incoming product quality tremendously.
- Regulatory Agencies, 4%
Served as primary liaison with all applicable regulatory agencies.
"continuous improvement," "oversight," and "fda" are among the most common skills that quality control directors use at work. You can find even more quality control director responsibilities below, including:
Interpersonal skills. The most essential soft skill for a quality control director to carry out their responsibilities is interpersonal skills. This skill is important for the role because "industrial production managers must have excellent communication skills to work well other managers and with staff." Additionally, a quality control director resume shows how their duties depend on interpersonal skills: "have a good understanding of sdlc best practices and strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills. "
Leadership skills. Many quality control director duties rely on leadership skills. "to keep the production process running smoothly, industrial production managers must motivate and direct employees.," so a quality control director will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways quality control director responsibilities rely on leadership skills: "provide knowledge and leadership to solve process and product quality issue. "
Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for quality control directors to perform their duties. For an example of how quality control director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "production managers must identify and address problems that arise." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a quality control director: "provided support for anda submissions and resolutions of fda deficiencies. ".
The three companies that hire the most quality control directors are:
- AMETEK3 quality control directors jobs
- Prime Healthcare3 quality control directors jobs
- Insmed2 quality control directors jobs
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Quality control director vs. Laboratory manager
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.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between quality control directors and laboratory manager. For instance, quality control director responsibilities require skills such as "continuous improvement," "oversight," "product quality," and "microbiology." Whereas a laboratory manager is skilled in "lab equipment," "patients," "customer service," and "chemistry." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Laboratory managers earn the highest salaries when working in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average yearly salary of $90,911. On the other hand, quality control directors are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $114,719.laboratory managers tend to reach similar levels of education than quality control directors. In fact, laboratory managers are 4.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Quality control director vs. Vice-president of quality
A vice president of quality is responsible for monitoring the quality performance and delivery of the company outputs and deliverables to serve customers and clients. Vice presidents of quality analyze the production and operational processes to ensure that everything adheres to the internal guidelines and regulations. They also coordinate with the stakeholders for project updates and identify opportunities for revenue resources to increase the company's profits. A vice president of quality must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in minimizing loss from operational failures and increasing productivity results.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that quality control director responsibilities requires skills like "microbiology," "oos," "method development," and "environmental monitoring." But a vice-president of quality might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "risk management," "patient safety," "performance improvement," and "quality improvement."
On average, vice-president of qualities earn a higher salary than quality control directors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, vice-president of qualities earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $122,006. Whereas quality control directors have higher pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $114,719.In general, vice-president of qualities achieve higher levels of education than quality control directors. They're 5.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 2.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Quality control director vs. Director of quality management
The job of a director of quality management is to lead and direct the quality management activities of an organization. Your duties include assisting in the development, presentation, and monitoring of internal initiatives and measures, coordinating clinical outcomes tracking and reporting, and designing and implementing quality improvement studies. Additionally, as the quality management director, you will be responsible for leading the clinical pathways, including aftercare agencies, and conducting membership surveys. You will also be responsible for developing strategic plans to improve quality within the organization.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from quality control director resumes include skills like "gmp," "product quality," "microbiology," and "oos," whereas a director of quality management is more likely to list skills in "quality management," "patients," "patient care," and "patient safety. "
Directors of quality management earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $127,126. Comparatively, quality control directors have the highest earning potential in the finance industry, with an average salary of $114,719.When it comes to education, directors of quality management tend to earn higher degree levels compared to quality control directors. In fact, they're 7.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Quality control director vs. Director of quality
In the manufacturing industry, a director of quality is primarily in charge of spearheading and overseeing the daily operations in a quality assurance department. They work to ensure that products adhere to the company's quality standards and industry regulations by conducting research and assessments, developing quality test systems, and reviewing reports. As a director of quality, they have the authority to make significant decisions, establish protocols and guidelines, set objectives and timelines, and implement rules and policies, creating new ones as necessary.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between quality control directors and directors of quality, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a quality control director might have more use for skills like "microbiology," "oos," "method development," and "analytical methods." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of directors of quality require skills like "healthcare," "quality improvement," "patients," and "patient safety. "
In general, directors of quality earn the most working in the finance industry, with an average salary of $155,704. The highest-paying industry for a quality control director is the finance industry.The average resume of directors of quality showed that they earn higher levels of education compared to quality control directors. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 5.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 3.4%.Types of quality control director
Updated January 8, 2025











