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The differences between senior quality specialists and quality leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior quality specialists, becoming a quality lead takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior quality specialists has an average salary of $90,969, which is higher than the $90,301 average annual salary of a quality lead.
The top three skills for a senior quality specialists include continuous improvement, quality standards and data collection. The most important skills for a quality lead are continuous improvement, product quality, and quality standards.
| Senior Quality Specialists | Quality Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $90,969 | $90,301 |
| Hourly rate | $43.74 | $43.41 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 58,771 | 62,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
Senior quality specialists are in charge of overseeing and optimizing quality control procedures, ensuring smooth workflow and efficiency. They typically perform research and analysis to identify the best manufacturing practices, identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing processes, providing solutions on vulnerable areas, and coordinating different teams to optimize operations. Furthermore, as senior quality specialists, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior specialists, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
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 specialists and quality leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Quality Specialists | Quality Lead | |
| Average salary | $90,969 | $90,301 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $117,000 | Between $63,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | SAP | |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a senior quality specialists and a quality lead in terms of educational background:
| Senior Quality Specialists | Quality Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | New York University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior quality specialists' and quality leads' demographics:
| Senior Quality Specialists | Quality Lead | |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.1% Female, 49.9% | Male, 58.7% Female, 41.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 10.0% White, 69.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 4% | 8% |