Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior testers and senior quality assurance engineers 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 tester and a senior quality assurance engineer. Additionally, a senior quality assurance engineer has an average salary of $106,802, which is higher than the $84,660 average annual salary of a senior tester.
The top three skills for a senior tester include java, test results and linux. The most important skills for a senior quality assurance engineer are QA, java, and python.
| Senior Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,660 | $106,802 |
| Hourly rate | $40.70 | $51.35 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 36,535 | 254,258 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Senior testers are professionals who supervise junior-level testers that conduct testing for computer software for errors or any problems faced by end-users. These testers must attend discussion meetings to review and analyze business requirements and technical specifications with developers and business users. They must work with the quality assurance (QA) team to identify discrepancies and test the new application. Senior testers must also gather test results and document all defects to create the test completion document as per the requirement of end-users.
A senior quality assurance engineer oversees the testing procedures conducted in software development, ensuring technical accuracy and efficiency. They are primarily responsible for working alongside software designers and quality engineers, reviewing quality control reports, inspecting specifications, and devising particular test procedures. Moreover, it is also essential to troubleshoot issues and identify any inconsistencies or bugs. As someone with more experience in the team, they must supervise and serve as a mentor to the younger quality assurance engineers in the joint effort to develop efficient software.
Senior testers and senior quality assurance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $84,660 | $106,802 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $114,000 | Between $82,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, OR | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior tester and a senior quality assurance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior testers' and senior quality assurance engineers' demographics:
| Senior Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.5% Female, 32.5% | Male, 68.0% Female, 32.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 11% | 11% |