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The average salary for a Director of Quality & Engineering is $140,891 per year, translating to approximately $68 per hour. Factors influencing this salary include industry, geographical location, and years of experience. For instance, those with extensive experience often command higher pay, reflecting their advanced skills and leadership capabilities.
Salaries vary significantly by state. For example, states like California and New York often report higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for qualified professionals. In addition, cities such as San Francisco and New York City are known for offering competitive pay in this field.
Directors in metropolitan areas typically earn more than their counterparts in less populated regions. Cities such as San Jose and Boston are among the highest-paying locations, where demand for quality engineering leadership is robust.
With the tech industry's growth, opportunities for Directors of Quality & Engineering are expanding. Companies across sectors seek experienced professionals to lead quality initiatives.
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The highest-paying states for directors of quality & engineering are California, Nevada, and Washington. The lowest average director of quality & engineering salary states are South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Illinois.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $181,848 | $87.43 |
| 2 | Washington | $146,905 | $70.63 |
| 3 | Oregon | $142,633 | $68.57 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $145,739 | $70.07 |
| 5 | Idaho | $136,296 | $65.53 |
| 6 | Nevada | $170,851 | $82.14 |
| 7 | Texas | $137,007 | $65.87 |
| 8 | Utah | $119,430 | $57.42 |
| 9 | Alaska | $130,594 | $62.79 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | $126,393 | $60.77 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $119,048 | $57.23 |
| 12 | Arizona | $127,648 | $61.37 |
| 13 | Montana | $131,613 | $63.28 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $125,088 | $60.14 |
| 15 | Arkansas | $110,091 | $52.93 |
| 16 | Delaware | $114,630 | $55.11 |
| 17 | Louisiana | $112,076 | $53.88 |
| 18 | Hawaii | $134,053 | $64.45 |
| 19 | Alabama | $108,901 | $52.36 |
| 20 | Virginia | $118,758 | $57.10 |
| 21 | Maine | $115,867 | $55.71 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $106,108 | $51.01 |
| 23 | Mississippi | $108,757 | $52.29 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $111,108 | $53.42 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $122,997 | $59.13 |
| 26 | Colorado | $114,790 | $55.19 |
| 27 | Ohio | $114,576 | $55.08 |
| 28 | Indiana | $110,629 | $53.19 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $116,401 | $55.96 |
| 30 | Maryland | $109,595 | $52.69 |
| 31 | Georgia | $109,328 | $52.56 |
| 32 | New York | $107,365 | $51.62 |
| 33 | District of Columbia | $106,798 | $51.35 |
| 34 | New Jersey | $107,281 | $51.58 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $100,285 | $48.21 |
| 36 | Florida | $110,311 | $53.03 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | $107,481 | $51.67 |
| 38 | Michigan | $103,847 | $49.93 |
| 39 | Minnesota | $102,622 | $49.34 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $93,838 | $45.11 |
| 41 | Iowa | $91,696 | $44.08 |
| 42 | Vermont | $107,005 | $51.44 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $102,927 | $49.48 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $97,479 | $46.86 |
| 45 | Wyoming | $101,025 | $48.57 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $96,703 | $46.49 |
| 47 | Kansas | $96,436 | $46.36 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $94,607 | $45.48 |
| 49 | Illinois | $92,809 | $44.62 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $91,205 | $43.85 |
| 51 | Missouri | $87,622 | $42.13 |
The highest-paying cities for directors of quality & engineering are San Francisco, CA, Sparks, NV, and San Antonio, TX.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $199,718 | $96.02 |
| 2 | Sparks, NV | $181,259 | $87.14 |
| 3 | San Antonio, TX | $142,056 | $68.30 |
| 4 | Philadelphia, PA | $126,159 | $60.65 |
| 5 | McLean, VA | $120,314 | $57.84 |
| 6 | Lehi, UT | $119,275 | $57.34 |
| 7 | Boulder, CO | $115,078 | $55.33 |
| 8 | Durham, NC | $112,901 | $54.28 |
| 9 | Miami, FL | $112,198 | $53.94 |
| 10 | Bethesda, MD | $109,325 | $52.56 |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | $108,837 | $52.33 |
| 12 | Quincy, MA | $107,614 | $51.74 |
| 13 | New York, NY | $107,585 | $51.72 |
| 14 | Saint Louis Park, MN | $102,641 | $49.35 |
| 15 | Buffalo Grove, IL | $93,450 | $44.93 |
| 16 | Saint Louis, MO | $88,122 | $42.37 |
A director of quality & engineering's salary ranges from $98,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $201,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $201,000 | $16,750 | $97 |
| 75th Percentile | $169,000 | $14,083 | $81 |
| Average | $140,891 | $11,741 | $68 |
| 25th Percentile | $116,000 | $9,667 | $56 |
| 10th Percentile | $98,000 | $8,167 | $47 |
The highest paying types of directors of quality & engineering are engineering director, senior engineering manager, and vice president of engineering.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Assurance Director | $140,937 | $11,745 | $67.76 | 66,888 |
| Research And Development Manager | $117,507 | $9,792 | $56.49 | 125,447 |
| Design Manager | $102,637 | $8,553 | $49.34 | 61,273 |
| Engineering Program Manager | $122,604 | $10,217 | $58.94 | 148,543 |
| Director | $113,489 | $9,457 | $54.56 | 230,711 |
| Quality Lead | $90,301 | $7,525 | $43.41 | 62,018 |
Top companies hiring directors of quality & engineering now:
Director of quality & engineering salaries at Apple and Marin Software are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average director of quality & engineering salary at companies like Exelixis and Cohesity are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $210,965 | $101.43 |
| 2 | Marin Software | $188,141 | $90.45 |
| 3 | Exelixis | $180,258 | $86.66 |
| 4 | Cohesity | $173,163 | $83.25 |
| 5 | Rackspace | $159,975 | $76.91 |
| 6 | RingCentral | $159,885 | $76.87 |
| 7 | Dell | $155,083 | $74.56 |
| 8 | Allergan plc | $154,856 | $74.45 |
| 9 | Edwards Lifesciences | $154,694 | $74.37 |
| 10 | NBCUniversal | $154,440 | $74.25 |
| 11 | AbbVie | $153,357 | $73.73 |
| 12 | American Life Insurance Company | $150,906 | $72.55 |
| 13 | Salesforce | $150,800 | $72.50 |
| 14 | Nirvana | $144,703 | $69.57 |
| 15 | Estée Lauder | $144,548 | $69.49 |
| 16 | Oportun | $143,257 | $68.87 |
| 17 | SeaSpine | $138,305 | $66.49 |
| 18 | NantHealth | $134,750 | $64.78 |
| 19 | Paramount | $126,160 | $60.65 |
| 20 | Maven Machines | $126,121 | $60.64 |
The average director of quality & engineering salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $127,614 | $61.35 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $120,876 | $58.11 |
| 3 | Health Care | $118,276 | $56.86 |
| 4 | Finance | $111,763 | $53.73 |
| 5 | Professional | $101,923 | $49.00 |
The average director of quality & engineering salary has risen by $25,761 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average director of quality & engineering earned $115,130 annually, but today, they earn $140,891 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for directors of quality & engineering over the last decade.
Compare director of quality & engineering salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare director of quality & engineering salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $141,000 | $67.74 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $136,000 | $65.61 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $133,000 | $63.76 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $130,000 | $62.39 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $127,000 | $61.03 | +1.4% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthfirst | DIR IT Quality Engineering | Fine, NY | 06/30/2025 | $170,400 |
| Salesforce.com, Inc. | Director, AI Cloud Quality Engineering | Ione, CA | 06/20/2025 | $230,800 |
| Taco Bell | Director, Quality Engineering | Irvine, CA | 06/14/2025 | $161,000 |
| Yum! Brands, Inc. | Director, Quality Engineering | Irvine, CA | 06/13/2025 | $161,000 |
| Medtronic Inc. | Engineering Director-Supplier Quality | Diabetes | Los Angeles, CA | 06/13/2025 | $194,400 |
| Workwave | Director, Quality Engineering | Arlington, VA | 06/07/2025 | $180,000 |
| Sanmina SCI | Regional Director of Quality Engineering | San Jose, CA | 06/05/2025 | $140,000 |
| Healthfirst | DIR IT Quality Engineering | Fine, NY | 05/25/2025 | $170,400 |
| Juniper Networks | Software Engineering Director, QA | Westford, MA | 05/23/2025 | $203,456 |
| Codametrix | Director, QA Engineering | Boston, MA | 05/21/2025 | $185,000 |
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