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The differences between supplier quality managers and quality engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a supplier quality manager, becoming a quality engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a supplier quality manager has an average salary of $102,346, which is higher than the $79,672 average annual salary of a quality engineer.
The top three skills for a supplier quality manager include continuous improvement, supply chain and sigma. The most important skills for a quality engineer are corrective action, continuous improvement, and ISO.
| Supplier Quality Manager | Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,346 | $79,672 |
| Hourly rate | $49.20 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 63,918 | 96,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
A quality engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
Supplier quality managers and quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supplier Quality Manager | Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $102,346 | $79,672 |
| Salary range | Between $77,000 And $135,000 | Between $61,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Genentech | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a supplier quality manager and a quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Supplier Quality Manager | Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between supplier quality managers' and quality engineers' demographics:
| Supplier Quality Manager | Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.0% Female, 18.0% | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 4% |