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The differences between quality systems specialists and quality engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a quality systems specialist, becoming a quality engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a quality engineer has an average salary of $79,672, 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 engineer are corrective action, continuous improvement, and ISO.
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $74,283 | $79,672 |
| Hourly rate | $35.71 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 120,243 | 96,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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 engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
Quality systems specialists and quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $74,283 | $79,672 |
| 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 | Washington |
| Best paying company | General Motors | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a quality systems specialist and a quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between quality systems specialists' and quality engineers' demographics:
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 4% |