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The differences between senior quality managers and quality assurance specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior quality manager, becoming a quality assurance specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior quality manager has an average salary of $127,285, which is higher than the $63,443 average annual salary of a quality assurance specialist.
The top three skills for a senior quality manager include continuous improvement, oversight and project management. The most important skills for a quality assurance specialist are GMP, patients, and FDA.
| Senior Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $127,285 | $63,443 |
| Hourly rate | $61.19 | $30.50 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 62,683 | 83,505 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A senior quality manager is in charge of designing and developing quality control measures to ensure that a company's products are according to standards. They typically coordinate with analysts and other experts to identify the market and clients' needs, evaluate existing quality control methods, and create strategies to improve production procedures. Aside from optimizing quality control, a senior quality manager must also monitor the workflow and the workforce's performance to ensure efficiency and their adherence to the company's standards and regulations.
A quality assurance specialist is an individual who is responsible for monitoring, inspecting, and proposing measures to correct and improve a company's product. Quality assurance specialists need to outline quality assurance policies and procedures, making sure that quality standards are assured. It is important that a quality assurance specialist should have strong attention to detail and is excellent in data collection. This work may require a minimum of bachelor's degree and certification to get certified.
Senior quality managers and quality assurance specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Average salary | $127,285 | $63,443 |
| Salary range | Between $90,000 And $178,000 | Between $41,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Upstart Network | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a senior quality manager and a quality assurance specialist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior quality managers' and quality assurance specialists' demographics:
| Senior Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% | Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 9.3% White, 69.1% 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 | 8% | 11% |