Post job

Quality specialist vs quality associate

The differences between quality specialists and quality associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality specialist has an average salary of $65,230, which is higher than the $50,300 average annual salary of a quality associate.

The top three skills for a quality specialist include customer service, data analysis and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a quality associate are patients, QA, and quality system.

Quality specialist vs quality associate overview

Quality SpecialistQuality Associate
Yearly salary$65,230$50,300
Hourly rate$31.36$24.18
Growth rate10%3%
Number of jobs80,31660,168
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age4438
Years of experience--

What does a quality specialist do?

Quality control senior scientists ensure that testing, materials, and laboratory equipment are up to standard. In the course of their career, they can expect to perform tests for the quality of manufacturing processes in order to ensure compliance with predetermined criteria, as well as ensuring that final products are safe for sale or distribution. This is a career that requires the skills of teamwork, communication, writing, and prioritization. Also, good attention to detail and some technical skills will be needed.

What does a quality associate do?

A quality associate is responsible for ensuring that a new product meets standards for usage and operating. You will perform various tasks that include assisting in identifying quality problems and improving operational processes, writing, disseminating, and maintaining quality documentation and manuals, and verifying logs and databases to monitor and flag quality issues and improvements. In addition, you are responsible for supporting document control and quality audits, reviewing reports and validation protocols, and investigating and diagnosing quality complaints.

Quality specialist vs quality associate salary

Quality specialists and quality associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

Quality SpecialistQuality Associate
Average salary$65,230$50,300
Salary rangeBetween $43,000 And $98,000Between $31,000 And $80,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaConnecticut
Best paying companyMetaJPMorgan Chase & Co.
Best paying industryGovernmentHealth Care

Differences between quality specialist and quality associate education

There are a few differences between a quality specialist and a quality associate in terms of educational background:

Quality SpecialistQuality Associate
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorBusinessBiology
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityStanford University

Quality specialist vs quality associate demographics

Here are the differences between quality specialists' and quality associates' demographics:

Quality SpecialistQuality Associate
Average age4438
Gender ratioMale, 44.7% Female, 55.3%Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 11.6% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage11%8%

Differences between quality specialist and quality associate duties and responsibilities

Quality specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage CMOs that provide Endo with API, bulk, packaging services, and/or finish goods, including clinical material.
  • Manage PPAP sample dimensional verification activities.
  • Recommend changes to organizational committee structure to achieve higher level of accountability and oversight.
  • Manage document control including initiating and revising procedures, QA approval and implementation of documents.
  • Manage performance improvement and quality improvement projects design to assess and improve health outcomes for Medicaid members.
  • Manage hospital core measures abstraction, registry abstractions and review services to assist healthcare organizations in improving performance.
  • Show more

Quality associate example responsibilities.

  • Manage document control including initiating and revising procedures, QA approval and implementation of documents.
  • Participate in all regulatory, corporate and internal audit activities to include FDA, DEA, OSHA and ISO.
  • Create slideshow for meeting with PowerPoint.
  • Maintain all quality documents including PPAP, FMEA, etc.
  • Provide management with update PowerPoint graphs monthly, quarterly and yearly.
  • Chart review for compliance for local policies, TJC and CMS.
  • Show more

Quality specialist vs quality associate skills

Common quality specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • Continuous Improvement, 6%
  • Process Improvement, 5%
  • Management System, 5%
  • FDA, 5%
Common quality associate skills
  • Patients, 10%
  • QA, 5%
  • Quality System, 5%
  • Quality Specifications, 5%
  • Product Quality, 4%
  • Customer Service, 4%

Browse business and financial jobs