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The differences between senior quality specialists and quality technicians 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 quality specialists and a quality technician. Additionally, a senior quality specialists has an average salary of $90,969, which is higher than the $37,007 average annual salary of a quality technician.
The top three skills for a senior quality specialists include continuous improvement, quality standards and data collection. The most important skills for a quality technician are calipers, quality standards, and corrective action.
| Senior Quality Specialists | Quality Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $90,969 | $37,007 |
| Hourly rate | $43.74 | $17.79 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 58,771 | 80,291 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
Quality systems analysts are professionals who analyze the implemented quality standards of an organization's business procedures and policies. These analysts are required to execute test plans and resolve discrepancies with their technical personnel. They must coordinate all internal audits of the quality system while implementing corrective action to their audit findings. They are required to conduct weekly meetings with development staff to discuss defects and revised business requirements. Quality systems analysts must also identify the quality training needs for operations personnel working with supervisors and quality engineers.
Senior quality specialists and quality technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Quality Specialists | Quality Technician | |
| Average salary | $90,969 | $37,007 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $117,000 | Between $27,000 And $50,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | SAP | Amphenol |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a senior quality specialists and a quality technician in terms of educational background:
| Senior Quality Specialists | Quality Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | New York University | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between senior quality specialists' and quality technicians' demographics:
| Senior Quality Specialists | Quality Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.1% Female, 49.9% | Male, 60.4% Female, 39.6% |
| 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, 10.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 6% |