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What does a quality program manager do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

Quality control inspectors are employees assigned to check the company's production processes and finished products to ensure that company standards are followed. They fit if the workers on the production floor follow protocols and guidelines in doing their assigned roles. They also check if workers follow occupational safety and health standards during work hours. Aside from those tasks, they also contain finished products to look for possible defects or deviations from company standards. Any deviation will be logged and reported to ensure stricter protocols next time.

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Quality program manager responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real quality program manager resumes:

  • Define a new department process for documenting and managing bugs with JIRA.
  • Lead internal team that oversee quality outputs, KPIs and processes at outsource call centers.
  • Manage customer relations, specifications, and testing procedures for QC functions concerning technical, pharmaceutical, and food grade products.
  • Manage PPAP document generation for automotive products.
  • Manage internal manufacturing and supplier assessment and improvement including implementation of SPC.
  • Support production in validating production processes, achieving FDA facility certification, and resolving process issues.
  • Work with all new QC's at plants and help train them in codes and quality.
  • Experience in JIRA and Bugzilla defect tracking systems.
  • Establish and train employees and suppliers in APOP and PPAP.
  • Provide floor support in an aerospace high volume precision assembly environment.
  • Coordinate efforts between engineering, QA, marketing, sales and procurement.
  • Direct settlement of claims and warranty evaluations with customer's or OEM's.
  • Facilitate, create and evangelize agile, scrum and lean processes and methodologies.
  • Hold weekly status meetings with health plans regarding the status on their HEDIS projects.
  • Participate in accreditation review and subsequent implementation of action plans for CMS and UNOS.

Quality program manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 11% of Quality Program Managers are proficient in Data Analysis, Oversight, and Project Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Leadership skills, and Problem-solving skills.

We break down the percentage of Quality Program Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Data Analysis, 11%

    Provided supporting customer data analysis to drive customer quality improvement initiatives.

  • Oversight, 9%

    Provide oversight of products being produced complies with customer specifications and quality requirements.

  • Project Management, 7%

    Instituted a state-of-the-art Project Management Office where none existed to more effectively manage risks and achieve objectives.

  • Sigma, 5%

    Planned/implemented lean process, Six Sigma and continuous improvement initiatives to insure high levels of final product quality.

  • Continuous Improvement, 5%

    Implemented continuous improvement process to review production incidents post release for potential testing corrective actions in future releases.

  • Process Improvement, 4%

    Analyzed post-implementation reviews and project lessons learned to identify and initiate corrective and preventive actions and process improvements.

"data analysis," "oversight," and "project management" are among the most common skills that quality program managers use at work. You can find even more quality program manager responsibilities below, including:

Interpersonal skills. One of the key soft skills for a quality program manager to have is interpersonal skills. You can see how this relates to what quality program managers do because "industrial production managers must have excellent communication skills to work well other managers and with staff." Additionally, a quality program manager resume shows how quality program managers use interpersonal skills: "demonstrate proven leadership ability and excellent interpersonal skills while mentoring and teaching the team effective problem solving. "

Leadership skills. Many quality program manager duties rely on leadership skills. "to keep the production process running smoothly, industrial production managers must motivate and direct employees.," so a quality program manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways quality program manager responsibilities rely on leadership skills: "partnered with corporate operational leadership on special projects for continuous improvement and delivered quality summaries. "

Problem-solving skills. quality program managers are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to quality program manager responsibilities, because "production managers must identify and address problems that arise." A quality program manager resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "solved supplier quality management problems with engineering and operations. "

See the full list of quality program manager skills

The three companies that hire the most quality program managers are:

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Compare different quality program managers

Quality program manager 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.

The annual salary of vice-president of qualities is $24,358 higher than the average salary of quality program managers.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between quality program managers and vice-president of qualities are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like oversight, project management, and sigma.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, quality program manager responsibilities require skills like "data analysis," "hedis," "medicare," and "powerpoint." Meanwhile a typical vice-president of quality has skills in areas such as "patient safety," "performance improvement," "quality improvement," and "qa." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Vice-president of qualities really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $122,006. Comparatively, quality program managers tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $108,139.vice-president of qualities tend to reach similar levels of education than quality program managers. In fact, vice-president of qualities are 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.7% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Quality program manager 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.

A career as a director of quality brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a quality program manager. In fact, directors of quality salary is $30,595 higher than the salary of quality program managers per year.A few skills overlap for quality program managers and directors of quality. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "data analysis," "oversight," and "project management. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, quality program manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "medicare," "powerpoint," "program management," and "performance metrics." Meanwhile, a director of quality has duties that require skills in areas such as "healthcare," "quality improvement," "patients," and "patient safety." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Directors of quality earn a higher average salary than quality program managers. But directors of quality earn the highest pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $155,704. Additionally, quality program managers earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $108,139 annually.directors of quality earn similar levels of education than quality program managers in general. They're 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Quality program manager vs. Lead quality control

Lead quality control agents are manufacturing professionals who are responsible for supervising and coordinating the activities of workers to meet the required quality standards of finished products. These professionals are required to review the calibration of manufacturing equipment to ensure they perform correctly and on time. They must assist in identifying and developing procedures and processes that are related to the quality management system. Leads quality control must also perform quality testing on materials while participating in team meetings to discuss safety and quality issues.

On average, lead quality controls earn lower salaries than quality program managers, with a $18,465 difference per year.quality program managers and lead quality controls both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "process improvement," "powerpoint," and "quality standards," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a quality program manager is likely to be skilled in "data analysis," "oversight," "project management," and "sigma," while a typical lead quality control is skilled in "gmp," "safety procedures," "quality checks," and "production lines."

Lead quality controls make a very good living in the manufacturing industry with an average annual salary of $82,007. On the other hand, quality program managers are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $108,139.lead quality controls typically earn lower educational levels compared to quality program managers. Specifically, they're 14.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Quality program manager vs. Manager

Managers are responsible for a specific department, function, or employee group. They oversee their assigned departments and all the employees under the department. Managers are responsible that the department they are handling is functioning well. They set the department goals and the steps they must take to achieve the goals. They are also in charge of assessing the performance of their departments and their employees. Additionally, managers are responsible for interviewing prospective candidates for department vacancies and assessing their fit to the needs of the department. Managers also set the general working environment in the department, and they are expected to ensure that their employees remain motivated.

Managers average a lower salary than the annual salary of quality program managers. The difference is about $45,189 per year.According to resumes from quality program managers and managers, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "powerpoint," "product quality," and "customer satisfaction. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A quality program manager uses "data analysis," "oversight," "project management," and "sigma." Managers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "customer service," "payroll," "food safety," and "financial statements. "In general, managers earn the most working in the finance industry, with an average salary of $71,781. The highest-paying industry for a quality program manager is the technology industry.In general, managers hold lower degree levels compared to quality program managers. Managers are 14.5% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of quality program manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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