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The differences between quality systems specialists and quality consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality consultant has an average salary of $79,541, 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 consultant are healthcare, data collection, and project management.
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $74,283 | $79,541 |
| Hourly rate | $35.71 | $38.24 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 120,243 | 88,944 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 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 consultant specializes in developing and recommending strategies to optimize a company's production and quality assurance operations. Their responsibilities typically revolve around understanding the company's project goals and requirements, performing extensive research and analysis, gathering and analyzing product data, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of current quality control procedures, and studying the clients' feedback. Through their research findings, a consultant draws and presents conclusions, along with recommendations and solutions against vulnerable areas. Moreover, a quality consultant may enhance policies and regulations, suggesting new ones when necessary.
Quality systems specialists and quality consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Consultant | |
| Average salary | $74,283 | $79,541 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $95,000 | Between $61,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Everett, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | General Motors | Aetna |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a quality systems specialist and a quality consultant in terms of educational background:
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between quality systems specialists' and quality consultants' demographics:
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Consultant | |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% | Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2% |
| 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, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |