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The differences between quality coordinators and quality assurance specialists 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 coordinator, becoming a quality assurance specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a quality assurance specialist has an average salary of $63,443, which is higher than the $54,953 average annual salary of a quality coordinator.
The top three skills for a quality coordinator include patients, quality improvement and performance improvement. The most important skills for a quality assurance specialist are GMP, patients, and FDA.
| Quality Coordinator | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $54,953 | $63,443 |
| Hourly rate | $26.42 | $30.50 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 77,032 | 83,505 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A quality coordinator is responsible for monitoring quality control and testing procedures, ensuring that the processes and policies adhere to the company's standards and business requirements. Quality coordinators assist the project management team in developing strategic techniques according to clients' specifications from conceptualization to the final outputs. They recommend cost-reduction materials depending on the budget limitations, as well as conducting audits and creating reports. A quality coordinator must be highly organizational and communicative, especially on suggesting opportunities to increase revenues and drive more client partnerships.
A quality assurance specialist is an individual who is responsible for monitoring, inspecting, and proposing measures to correct and improve a company's product. Quality assurance specialists need to outline quality assurance policies and procedures, making sure that quality standards are assured. It is important that a quality assurance specialist should have strong attention to detail and is excellent in data collection. This work may require a minimum of bachelor's degree and certification to get certified.
Quality coordinators and quality assurance specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Coordinator | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Average salary | $54,953 | $63,443 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $82,000 | Between $41,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cheyenne, WY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Citi | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a quality coordinator and a quality assurance specialist in terms of educational background:
| Quality Coordinator | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between quality coordinators' and quality assurance specialists' demographics:
| Quality Coordinator | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% | Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 5.0% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 11% |