Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between supplier quality managers and quality assurance directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a supplier quality manager and a quality assurance director. Additionally, a quality assurance director has an average salary of $140,937, which is higher than the $102,346 average annual salary of a supplier quality manager.
The top three skills for a supplier quality manager include continuous improvement, supply chain and sigma. The most important skills for a quality assurance director are continuous improvement, quality standards, and oversight.
| Supplier Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Director | |
| Yearly salary | $102,346 | $140,937 |
| Hourly rate | $49.20 | $67.76 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 63,918 | 66,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Supplier quality managers are professionals who are responsible for managing the day-to-day activities and operations of the supplier quality department. These managers are required to monitor the performance of suppliers while identifying potential issues to improve quality and efficiency. They must implement product and process improvement strategies so that they can increase customer satisfaction, employee morale, and organization value. Supplier quality managers must also develop and maintain a supplier quality system by certifying their suppliers to ensure continuous product flow.
The job of a quality assurance (QA) director is to oversee all QA functions across the company. Your duties typically include working closely with other department heads to deliver high-quality products on time, hiring managers and analysts, and establishing and maintaining a quality system to make sure that company guidelines and regulatory standards are met. Additionally, you will be responsible for ensuring quality by monitoring, appraising job results, and planning. You are also expected to maintain technical and professional knowledge by reviewing professional publications, participating in professional associations, and attending workshops.
Supplier quality managers and quality assurance directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supplier Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Director | |
| Average salary | $102,346 | $140,937 |
| Salary range | Between $77,000 And $135,000 | Between $97,000 And $203,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Genentech | Upstart Network |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Professional |
There are a few differences between a supplier quality manager and a quality assurance director in terms of educational background:
| Supplier Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between supplier quality managers' and quality assurance directors' demographics:
| Supplier Quality Manager | Quality Assurance Director | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.0% Female, 18.0% | Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2% |
| 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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 9.1% White, 69.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |