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Associate director, quality assurance salary

Average associate director, quality assurance salary

$131,112

$63.03 hourly rate

Entry-level associate director, quality assurance salary
$93,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Associate Director of Quality Assurance Salary

As of October 2025, the average salary for an Associate Director of Quality Assurance in the United States is approximately $131,112 per year, translating to about $63 per hour. This figure reflects the importance of the role in maintaining product quality and compliance in various industries.

Salary Variations by State and Industry

The salary for this role can differ based on location, with states like California and New York offering some of the highest pay rates. For instance, professionals in metropolitan areas often enjoy higher compensation due to the cost of living and demand for quality assurance expertise.

Key Factors Influencing Salary

  • Years of Experience: More experienced professionals typically earn higher salaries.
  • Industry: Sectors such as pharmaceuticals and technology often provide better compensation.
  • Location: Urban areas tend to offer more competitive salaries.

Understanding these dynamics can help job seekers and current professionals navigate their career paths more effectively in the quality assurance field.

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Where can an Associate Director, Quality Assurance earn more?

Compare salary by location
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177k
157k
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117k
97k
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Columbus, OH$160,042
Dover, DE$107,161
Compare salary by company
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181k
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Corcept Therapeutics$157,491
UBS$130,782

Average associate director, quality assurance salary by state

The highest-paying states for associate directors, quality assurance are Alaska, Washington, and California. The lowest average associate director, quality assurance salary states are Georgia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for associate directors, quality assurance

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1California$146,143$70.26
2New Hampshire$131,458$63.20
3Washington$149,922$72.08
4Arizona$130,857$62.91
5New Jersey$130,627$62.80
6Alaska$164,521$79.10
7Massachusetts$131,057$63.01
8Utah$117,801$56.64
9Vermont$129,603$62.31
10Connecticut$124,743$59.97
11Nevada$127,666$61.38
12New York$131,184$63.07
13Maryland$125,607$60.39
14Michigan$117,493$56.49
15Oregon$120,690$58.02
16Rhode Island$114,501$55.05
17Mississippi$107,250$51.56
18Idaho$122,468$58.88
19Virginia$121,581$58.45
20Hawaii$144,382$69.41
21Louisiana$108,125$51.98
22Texas$118,275$56.86
23Pennsylvania$116,658$56.09
24Minnesota$109,286$52.54
25West Virginia$112,656$54.16
26Kansas$113,419$54.53
27New Mexico$112,945$54.30
28District of Columbia$113,563$54.60
29North Carolina$102,552$49.30
30Alabama$98,776$47.49
31Delaware$107,186$51.53
32Nebraska$104,036$50.02
33Kentucky$100,531$48.33
34Illinois$104,633$50.30
35Maine$105,418$50.68
36Ohio$101,026$48.57
37South Dakota$104,351$50.17
38Indiana$96,537$46.41
39South Carolina$102,678$49.36
40Tennessee$100,584$48.36
41North Dakota$99,832$48.00
42Wisconsin$94,804$45.58
43Oklahoma$85,166$40.95
44Colorado$99,381$47.78
45Missouri$100,451$48.29
46Florida$100,405$48.27
47Montana$101,592$48.84
48Georgia$95,460$45.89
49Iowa$87,866$42.24
50Wyoming$88,803$42.69
51Arkansas$85,807$41.25
Top associate director, quality assurance jobs near you

Highest paying cities for associate directors, quality assurance

The highest-paying cities for associate directors, quality assurance are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Urban Honolulu, HI.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$160,042$76.94
2Seattle, WA$154,114$74.09
3Urban Honolulu, HI$145,127$69.77
4Phoenix, AZ$132,041$63.48
5Albany, NY$131,615$63.28
6Concord, NH$131,341$63.14
7Boston, MA$131,158$63.06
8East Brunswick, NJ$130,544$62.76
9Baltimore, MD$126,023$60.59
10Hartford, CT$124,959$60.08
11Richmond, VA$121,300$58.32
12Austin, TX$120,306$57.84
13Detroit, MI$117,887$56.68
14Salt Lake City, UT$117,213$56.35
15Harrisburg, PA$116,211$55.87
16Washington, DC$113,657$54.64
17Charleston, WV$111,187$53.46
18Saint Paul, MN$109,433$52.61
19Jackson, MS$107,412$51.64
20Dover, DE$107,161$51.52

Associate director, quality assurance salary details

An associate director, quality assurance's salary ranges from $93,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $183,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average associate director, quality assurance salary graph
Average associate director, quality assurance salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an associate director, quality assurance's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$183,000$15,250$88
75th Percentile$156,000$13,000$75
Average$131,112$10,926$63
25th Percentile$109,000$9,083$52
10th Percentile$93,000$7,750$45

Highest paying associate director, quality assurance jobs

The highest paying types of associate directors, quality assurance are quality assurance director, director of quality, and vice-president of quality.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Quality Improvement Coordinator$75,382$6,282$36.2472,892
Quality Supervisor$60,486$5,041$29.0861,400
Laboratory Manager$74,314$6,193$35.7343,321
Lead Quality Control$85,375$7,115$41.0583,633
Quality Control Manager$87,679$7,307$42.1582,389
Vice-President Of Quality$128,198$10,683$61.6389,115

Top companies hiring associate directors, quality assurance now:

  1. Genentech jobs (3)
  2. Moody's jobs (11)
  3. Vertex Pharmaceuticals jobs (3)
  4. Merck jobs (3)
  5. Bristol-Myers Squibb jobs (3)

Which companies pay associate directors, quality assurance the most?

Associate director, quality assurance salaries at Corcept Therapeutics and Exelixis are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average associate director, quality assurance salary at companies like Tonix Pharmaceuticals and Moody's are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Corcept Therapeutics$157,491$75.72
2Exelixis$156,629$75.30
3Tonix Pharmaceuticals$151,088$72.64
4Moody's$147,934$71.12
5Vertex Pharmaceuticals$141,859$68.20
6Regeneron$141,523$68.04
7Merck$139,426$67.03
8AstraZeneca$138,851$66.76
9Bristol-Myers Squibb$138,851$66.76
10Eli Lilly and Company$138,377$66.53
11Novartis$138,306$66.49
12Gilead Sciences$136,611$65.68
13Cytokinetics$135,665$65.22
14FibroGen$134,930$64.87
15Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.$133,742$64.30
16Mersana Therapeutics$133,128$64.00
17Organon$132,635$63.77
18IAVI$132,399$63.65
19Seres Therapeutics$131,098$63.03
20UBS$130,782$62.88

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$136,000$134,400$132,800$131,200$129,600$128,000
MaleFemale

Associate Director, Quality Assurance salary by industry

The average associate director, quality assurance salary varies across industries:

  • The average associate director, quality assurance salary in the manufacturing industry is $138,744, the highest of any industry.
  • The average associate director, quality assurance salary in the finance industry is $131,419.
  • Associate directors, quality assurance in the health care industry earn an average salary of $81,473, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for associate directors, quality assurance

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Manufacturing$138,744$66.70
2Finance$131,419$63.18
3Pharmaceutical$128,567$61.81
4Media$105,877$50.90
5Health Care$81,473$39.17

High paying associate director, quality assurance jobs

Associate director, quality assurance salary trends

The average associate director, quality assurance salary has risen by $24,827 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average associate director, quality assurance earned $106,285 annually, but today, they earn $131,112 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for associate directors, quality assurance over the last decade.

Compare associate director, quality assurance salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average associate director, quality assurance salary over time

Compare associate director, quality assurance salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Associate director, quality assurance salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$131,000$63.03+3.0%
2025$127,000$61.12+2.0%
2024$125,000$59.90+2.7%
2023$121,000$58.28+3.4%
2022$117,000$56.28+3.3%

Recently added associate director, quality assurance salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Kailera Therapeutics, Inc.Associate Director, GMP Quality Assurance (Drug Substance)Waltham, MA06/29/2025$160,000
CytokineticsAssociate Director, Clinical Quality AssuranceSouth San Francisco, CA06/20/2025$162,800
Kura OncologySR Mgr/Associate Director, GMP Quality AssuranceSan Diego, CA06/14/2025$161,650
Vertex PharmaceuticalsAssociate Director R&D Quality Assurance Analytics (Remote)Boston, MA06/13/2025$152,000
Eli Lilly and CompanyQuality Assurance Associate Director (M2)Branchburg, NJ06/12/2025$184,080
LillyQuality Assurance Associate Director (M2)Branchburg, NJ06/12/2025$184,080
Corcept TherapeuticsAssociate Director, Process Development and Documentation, Clinical Quality AssuranceRedwood City, CA06/11/2025$183,300
Takeda PharmaceuticalsAssociate Director Quality AssuranceThousand Oaks, CA06/11/2025$153,600
LillyAssociate Director, Quality Assurance-Site Data LeaderPleasant Prairie, WI06/11/2025$111,000
AbbvieAssociate Director, Qualification and Validation, Product Development Quality Assurance (On-Site)North Chicago, IL06/10/2025$137,500

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