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The differences between senior quality managers and quality leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior quality manager and a quality lead. Additionally, a senior quality manager has an average salary of $127,285, which is higher than the $90,301 average annual salary of a quality lead.
The top three skills for a senior quality manager include continuous improvement, oversight and project management. The most important skills for a quality lead are continuous improvement, product quality, and quality standards.
| Senior Quality Manager | Quality Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $127,285 | $90,301 |
| Hourly rate | $61.19 | $43.41 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 62,683 | 62,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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 (QA) lead is responsible for organizing and managing the testing of products prior to its release. Your duties will include defining testing standards and strategies, establishing formal QA processes, and overseeing all aspects of QA, such as using best practices and establishing metrics. Additionally, you are responsible for supervising and mentoring QA team members, and developing and implementing scripts, test cases, and procedures. You are also responsible for managing off quality products and developing and institutionalizing ISO complaints.
Senior quality managers and quality leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Quality Manager | Quality Lead | |
| Average salary | $127,285 | $90,301 |
| Salary range | Between $90,000 And $178,000 | Between $63,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Upstart Network | |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a senior quality manager and a quality lead in terms of educational background:
| Senior Quality Manager | Quality Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior quality managers' and quality leads' demographics:
| Senior Quality Manager | Quality Lead | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% | Male, 58.7% Female, 41.3% |
| 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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 9.1% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |