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The differences between quality control supervisors and quality engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a quality control supervisor, becoming a quality engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a quality engineer has an average salary of $79,672, which is higher than the $63,930 average annual salary of a quality control supervisor.
The top three skills for a quality control supervisor include safety procedures, product quality and food safety. The most important skills for a quality engineer are corrective action, continuous improvement, and ISO.
| Quality Control Supervisor | Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $63,930 | $79,672 |
| Hourly rate | $30.74 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 110,617 | 96,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A quality control supervisor specializes in carrying out and implementing systems and procedures that ensure product quality within an organization. They are primarily responsible for devising priorities and standards, managing schedules to abide by the production timeline, monitoring activities, coordinating with production and quality control personnel, assessing employee performance, and thoroughly discussing new systems for all staff. There are also instances when a quality control supervisor must perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and assessments, responding to calls and correspondence, even disseminating notices.
A quality engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
Quality control supervisors and quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Control Supervisor | Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $63,930 | $79,672 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $87,000 | Between $61,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | Washington |
| Best paying company | AbbVie | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Technology |
There are a few differences between a quality control supervisor and a quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Quality Control Supervisor | Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between quality control supervisors' and quality engineers' demographics:
| Quality Control Supervisor | Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.7% Female, 30.3% | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 4.4% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 4% |