Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior automation test engineers and quality assurance leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior automation test engineer and a quality assurance lead. Additionally, a senior automation test engineer has an average salary of $97,825, which is higher than the $94,758 average annual salary of a quality assurance lead.
The top three skills for a senior automation test engineer include java, api testing and mobile testing. The most important skills for a quality assurance lead are QA, test cases, and test plan.
| Senior Automation Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $97,825 | $94,758 |
| Hourly rate | $47.03 | $45.56 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 109,068 | 82,242 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior automation test engineer is responsible for using innovative engineering methods to automate the systems within the company. They must troubleshoot various problems related to automation and test different plans for large-scale projects. They should be able to design effective systems that interact with client-side functionality.
A quality assurance lead, also known as QA Lead, is responsible for conducting necessary quality tests and analyses for software program and development. As a quality assurance lead, they must take the lead in ensuring quality during development by proactively performing critical evaluations, troubleshooting, and providing precise documentation. It is also essential to identify issues and resolve them as soon as possible. Furthermore, a quality assurance lead must maintain an active line of communication and coordination as most of the work will be in a team setting.
Senior automation test engineers and quality assurance leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Automation Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average salary | $97,825 | $94,758 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $122,000 | Between $72,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Koch Industries | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Retail |
There are a few differences between a senior automation test engineer and a quality assurance lead in terms of educational background:
| Senior Automation Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior automation test engineers' and quality assurance leads' demographics:
| Senior Automation Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5% | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |