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The differences between quality control specialists and quality leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality lead has an average salary of $90,301, which is higher than the $49,281 average annual salary of a quality control specialist.
The top three skills for a quality control specialist include GMP, patients and customer service. The most important skills for a quality lead are continuous improvement, product quality, and quality standards.
| Quality Control Specialist | Quality Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $49,281 | $90,301 |
| Hourly rate | $23.69 | $43.41 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 100,535 | 62,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 38 | 48 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
A quality control specialist is responsible for maintaining the quality of the products during production before storing for use and deliveries. Quality control specialists evaluate the products through internal specifications and processes. They conduct thorough inspections of finished products to identify any inconsistencies and malfunctions, immediately replacing or reproducing defective items. They also create a record of production issues to discuss with the management, developing strategic procedures to address quality problems for accuracy. A quality control specialist must have excellent communication skills, as well as be detail-oriented to identify areas of improvement and ensure customer satisfaction.
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 specialists and quality leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Control Specialist | Quality Lead | |
| Average salary | $49,281 | $90,301 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $75,000 | Between $63,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rockville, MD | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a quality control specialist and a quality lead in terms of educational background:
| Quality Control Specialist | Quality Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between quality control specialists' and quality leads' demographics:
| Quality Control Specialist | Quality Lead | |
| Average age | 38 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7% | Male, 58.7% Female, 41.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | 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% |