What does a senior quality control associate do?
A senior quality control associate supervises a project to ensure it is high quality. They conduct quality control testing, remove defective products, and provide recommendations for correcting any issues. They also assess the work of other staff.
Senior quality control associate responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior quality control associate resumes:
- Identify discrepancies, participate in quality investigations and CAPA, and manage DMS in Trackwise tool.
- Support method development and revisions for streamlining of HPLC standard test method for final product testing ..
- Execute GMP release and stability testing of active ingredients and drug products to support clinical phase projects.
- Conduct flow cytometry seminars for FDA auditors.
- Demonstrate strong commitment to cGMP resulting in successful FDA audits.
- Support testing for lab investigations, OOS and deviation testing.
- Retest when necessary and enter all data into LIMS Labware software for close of reports.
- Devise reports, management metrics and prepare presentations, offer system (SM LIMS) training.
- Perform the receipt, inspection and testing of all raw materials per Compendial (USP, EP, FCC) requirements.
- Perform instrumentation troubleshooting and repairs on quality control instrumentation specifically HPLC, GC and ELSD.
- Conduct safety and quality inspections and risk assessments of range holding area during UXO demilitarization operations.
- Test products in accordance with ASTM standards.
- Assure all testing complies with cGMP, CFR and customer specifications.
- Conduct restriction enzyme digest and gel electrophoresis of plasmid samples.
- Maintain MSDS documentation and chemical safety reference materials.
Senior quality control associate skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Senior Quality Control Associates are proficient in QC, GMP, and Laboratory Equipment. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Senior Quality Control Associates that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- QC, 13%
Developed a process to electronically maintain contact information for controlled temperature units in the QC laboratories.
- GMP, 9%
Trained all new hires on the GMP On-Boarding New Hire Program within 14 days of start date.
- Laboratory Equipment, 4%
Performed maintenance, repair and calibration of laboratory equipment and/or systems.
- Test Methods, 4%
Researched USP, EP and ACS test requirements and created test methods to perform tests in house.
- Analytical Methods, 4%
Qualified and validated analytical methods for clinical products.
- FDA, 4%
Performed internal Quality System Audits to ensure compliance with FDA and ISO requirements.
Most senior quality control associates use their skills in "qc," "gmp," and "laboratory equipment" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential senior quality control associate responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a senior quality control associate to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what senior quality control associates do because "chemists and materials scientists need to evaluate the results of experiments to ensure accuracy in their research." Additionally, a senior quality control associate resume shows how senior quality control associates use analytical skills: "participated in numerous experimental studies and analytical method development projects within quality control and affiliate laboratories. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform senior quality control associate duties is communication skills. Senior quality control associates responsibilities require that "chemists and materials scientists must be able to convey information clearly in reports and presentations for both technical and nontechnical audiences." Senior quality control associates also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "maintained close communication and interaction with qc management and staff to ensure on-time testing of samples. "
Math skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of senior quality control associates is math skills. This skill is critical to many everyday senior quality control associate duties, as "chemists and materials scientists regularly use calculus, algebra, statistics, and other math for calculations." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "analyzed multiple standards and controls for qualitative and quantitative elisa. "
Organizational skills. For certain senior quality control associate responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "organizational skills." The day-to-day duties of a senior quality control associate rely on this skill, as "chemists and materials scientists must document processes carefully when conducting experiments, tracking outcomes, and analyzing results." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what senior quality control associates do: "supervised all projects assigned to the qc em/microbiology organizational unit and ensured all projects assigned were completed with accuracy and satisfaction. "
Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for a senior quality control associate to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what senior quality control associates relies on this skill, since "chemists’ and materials scientists’ work involves posing questions during research and finding answers through results." How this skill relates to senior quality control associate duties can be seen in an example from a senior quality control associate resume snippet: "prepared standard and sample solutions as required by the test methods or monograph. "
Time-management skills. Another skill commonly found on senior quality control associate job descriptions is "time-management skills." It can come up quite often in senior quality control associate duties, since "chemists and materials scientists usually need to meet deadlines and must be able to prioritize tasks while maintaining quality." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day senior quality control associate responsibilities: "serve as qc liaison to project managers and subject matter experts to ensure document deadline and analyst understanding/compliance. "
The three companies that hire the most senior quality control associates are:
- Amgen5 senior quality control associates jobs
- Boehringer Ingelheim5 senior quality control associates jobs
- Sarepta Therapeutics3 senior quality control associates jobs
Compare different senior quality control associates
Senior quality control associate vs. Microbiology analyst
In a manufacturing setting, a quality assurance scientist specializes in utilizing scientific procedures in ensuring that products adhere to a company's quality standards and policies. Their responsibilities include developing quality control procedures, conducting experiments and analysis, identifying areas needing improvement, implementing solutions in problem areas, and maintaining detailed records of results. Furthermore, as a quality assurance scientist, it is essential to keep an active communication line with the quality assurance team, coordinating every step of the way for an efficient and safe workflow.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, senior quality control associate responsibilities require skills like "qc," "laboratory equipment," "test methods," and "analytical methods." Meanwhile a typical microbiology analyst has skills in areas such as "lab equipment," "test results," "microorganisms," and "laboratory procedures." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Microbiology analysts tend to make the most money working in the pharmaceutical industry, where they earn an average salary of $50,426. In contrast, senior quality control associates make the biggest average salary, $92,917, in the start-up industry.microbiology analysts tend to reach similar levels of education than senior quality control associates. In fact, microbiology analysts are 3.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Senior quality control associate vs. Metals analyst
A quality control supervisor specializes in carrying out and implementing systems and procedures that ensure product quality within an organization. They are primarily responsible for devising priorities and standards, managing schedules to abide by the production timeline, monitoring activities, coordinating with production and quality control personnel, assessing employee performance, and thoroughly discussing new systems for all staff. There are also instances when a quality control supervisor must perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and assessments, responding to calls and correspondence, even disseminating notices.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, senior quality control associate responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "qc," "gmp," "test methods," and "analytical methods." Meanwhile, a metals analyst has duties that require skills in areas such as "icp-ms," "chemistry," "sops," and "icp-oes." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Metals analysts tend to reach lower levels of education than senior quality control associates. In fact, they're 7.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior quality control associate vs. Quality assurance scientist
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, senior quality control associates are more likely to have skills like "qc," "laboratory equipment," "data entry," and "usp." But a quality assurance scientist is more likely to have skills like "data analysis," "lab equipment," "cfr," and "troubleshoot."
Quality assurance scientists make a very good living in the manufacturing industry with an average annual salary of $72,744. On the other hand, senior quality control associates are paid the highest salary in the start-up industry, with average annual pay of $92,917.quality assurance scientists typically earn similar educational levels compared to senior quality control associates. Specifically, they're 2.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior quality control associate vs. Quality control supervisor
Types of senior quality control associate
Updated January 8, 2025
