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The differences between quality systems specialists and quality assurance managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a quality systems specialist and a quality assurance manager. Additionally, a quality assurance manager has an average salary of $99,894, which is higher than the $74,283 average annual salary of a quality systems specialist.
The top three skills for a quality systems specialist include quality system, FDA and ISO. The most important skills for a quality assurance manager are continuous improvement, product quality, and corrective action.
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Assurance Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $74,283 | $99,894 |
| Hourly rate | $35.71 | $48.03 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 120,243 | 62,293 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A quality systems specialist is responsible for conducting audit checks with the company's current quality systems and technologies to ensure adherence to regulatory policies and internal guidelines. Quality systems specialists evaluate the components of the system and recommend process improvement strategies, requiring them to have excellent technical skills to design or revise system interfaces. They also write comprehensive reports about the system's performance in meeting client requirements and determining usability to deliver outputs timely and efficiently.
A Quality Assurance Manager's responsibility varies on the organization or industry where one is assigned. Most of the time, the duties will revolve around quality control, such as overseeing a company's manufacturing operations, ensuring that the process followed all of the necessary protocols, and the products met all of the standards in adherence to the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, one must be able to detect and identify mistakes, conduct constant inspections, coordinate with various staff and supervisors, develop the workforce's quality by training employees, and come up with strategies that will help the company attain financial gains.
Quality systems specialists and quality assurance managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Assurance Manager | |
| Average salary | $74,283 | $99,894 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $95,000 | Between $70,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Everett, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | General Motors | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Finance |
There are a few differences between a quality systems specialist and a quality assurance manager in terms of educational background:
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Assurance Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between quality systems specialists' and quality assurance managers' demographics:
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Assurance Manager | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% | Male, 67.1% Female, 32.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 9.0% White, 69.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 9.2% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |