Test program manager vs quality assurance specialist

The differences between test program managers and quality assurance specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a test program manager and a quality assurance specialist. Additionally, a test program manager has an average salary of $107,287, which is higher than the $63,443 average annual salary of a quality assurance specialist.

The top three skills for a test program manager include life cycle, SQL and test coverage. The most important skills for a quality assurance specialist are GMP, patients, and FDA.

Test program manager vs quality assurance specialist overview

	Test Program Manager	Quality Assurance Specialist
Yearly salary	$107,287	$63,443
Hourly rate	$51.58	$30.50
Growth rate	11%	6%
Number of jobs	102,644	83,505
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Test program manager vs quality assurance specialist salary

Test program managers and quality assurance specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Test Program Manager	Quality Assurance Specialist
Average salary	$107,287	$63,443
Salary range	Between $81,000 And $141,000	Between $41,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Meta	Apple
Best paying industry	Retail	Pharmaceutical

Differences between test program manager and quality assurance specialist education

There are a few differences between a test program manager and a quality assurance specialist in terms of educational background:

	Test Program Manager	Quality Assurance Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Test program manager vs quality assurance specialist demographics

Here are the differences between test program managers' and quality assurance specialists' demographics:

	Test Program Manager	Quality Assurance Specialist
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 65.2% Female, 34.8%	Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2%
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%

Differences between test program manager and quality assurance specialist duties and responsibilities

Test program manager example responsibilities.

Lead development of custom quoting tool build in Salesforce from requirements definition to implementation.
Utilize Unix shell scripting to maintain the bug tracking database.
Conduct vendor audits for performance, process issues, and ROI.
Assist in creation and testing of programs using Java, HTML and C++ languages.
Plan & track regression testing, system and performance testing for worldwide development efforts.
Create and modify FRB & BRD in SharePoint and provide support during document sign off cycle.

Quality assurance specialist example responsibilities.

Manage all NDT relate gauges to ensure calibrations requirements are meet.
Provide employee training and manage all NDT certification records per ASNT SNT-TC-1A.
Lead the HACCP team to ensure full compliance with regulatory and industrial food safety standards.
Manage product and environmental sampling for chemical and microbial analysis to meet HACCP requirements.
Lead cross functional project team to build user-friendly windows base customer support applications which interface with the OmniPlan/OmniPlus mainframe application.
Execute quality processes in tissue banking and medical device, FDA requirements 21 CFR 1271 and 21 CFR 820.

Test program manager vs quality assurance specialist skills

Common test program manager skills

Life Cycle, 6%
SQL, 5%
Test Coverage, 5%
Status Reports, 4%
QA, 4%
Various Testing, 4%

Common quality assurance specialist skills

GMP, 6%
Patients, 5%
FDA, 5%
CAPA, 4%
Corrective Action, 4%
CFR, 4%

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Test Program Manager vs Quality Assurance Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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