Quality control operator vs quality assurance scientist

The differences between quality control operators and quality assurance scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality assurance scientist has an average salary of $68,108, which is higher than the $34,879 average annual salary of a quality control operator.

The top three skills for a quality control operator include quality checks, machine operators and laboratory equipment. The most important skills for a quality assurance scientist are GMP, FDA, and ISO.

Quality control operator vs quality assurance scientist overview

	Quality Control Operator	Quality Assurance Scientist
Yearly salary	$34,879	$68,108
Hourly rate	$16.77	$32.74
Growth rate	3%	6%
Number of jobs	124,546	106,373
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	-	-

Quality control operator vs quality assurance scientist salary

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

	Quality Control Operator	Quality Assurance Scientist
Average salary	$34,879	$68,108
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $46,000	Between $49,000 And $93,000
Highest paying City	-	Central Islip, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Lantheus
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between quality control operator and quality assurance scientist education

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

	Quality Control Operator	Quality Assurance Scientist
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Business	Biology
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Quality control operator vs quality assurance scientist demographics

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

	Quality Control Operator	Quality Assurance Scientist
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 60.7% Female, 39.3%	Male, 47.8% Female, 52.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 15.2% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between quality control operator and quality assurance scientist duties and responsibilities

Quality control operator example responsibilities.

Operate, setup and programme CNC mills & lathes.
Operate CNC machine fabricating parts and inspecting there tolerances.
Inspect pasta products for presence of metal in accordance with GMP standards.
Coordinate ISO, RoHS, FCC/CE, and UL initiatives for engineering department.
Operate CMM as required for first piece, die trials and layout requests.
Implement SPC techniques to analyze CMM reports for analyzing process trends and fluctuations.

Quality assurance scientist example responsibilities.

Manage a LIMS system for electronic entering, maintaining and retrieval of sample data and quality management.
Manage investigation reports for equipment maintenance and calibration OOS.
Evaluate all microbiology standard operating procedures for compliance to applicable regulations; GMP, USP, EP, and JP.
Record results using the LIMS system and release final batches.
Investigate when non-conformance results (OOS, OOT) are observed and document findings.
Operate sophisticated computer-control instrument like HPLC, GC-MS.

Quality control operator vs quality assurance scientist skills

Common quality control operator skills

Quality Checks, 22%
Machine Operators, 9%
Laboratory Equipment, 8%
ISO, 6%
Pallet Jack, 6%
Quality Issues, 5%

Common quality assurance scientist skills

GMP, 8%
FDA, 6%
ISO, 5%
Data Analysis, 5%
Microbiology, 5%
CAPA, 4%

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Quality Control Operator vs Quality Assurance Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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