Career Overview
Plan, direct, or coordinate quality assurance programs. Formulate quality control policies and control quality of laboratory and production efforts.
Also Known As
- Quality Assurance Director (QA Director)
- Quality Assurance Manager (QA Manager)
- Quality Control Manager (QC Manager)
- Quality Manager
Alternate Job Titles
- Construction Quality Control Manager
- Product Quality Director
- Quality and Food Safety Manager
- Quality and Process Improvement Manager
- Quality Assurance Coordinator (QA Coordinator)
- Quality Assurance Director (QA Director)
- Quality Assurance Manager (QA Manager)
- Quality Assurance Supervisor (QA Supervisor)
- Quality Control Director (QC Director)
- Quality Control Manager (QC Manager)
- Quality Control Microbiology Supervisor (QC Microbiology Supervisor)
- Quality Control Supervisor (QC Supervisor)
- Quality Control Systems Manager (QC Systems Manager)
- Quality Director
- Quality Management Director
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Stop production if serious product defects are present.
- Review and update standard operating procedures or quality assurance manuals.
- Monitor performance of quality control systems to ensure effectiveness and efficiency.
- Review quality documentation necessary for regulatory submissions and inspections.
- Analyze quality control test results and provide feedback and interpretation to production management or staff.
- Verify that raw materials, purchased parts or components, in-process samples, and finished products meet established testing and inspection standards.
- Oversee workers including supervisors, inspectors, or laboratory workers engaged in testing activities.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Production and Processing
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Chemistry
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Mathematics
- Engineering and Technology
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Reading Comprehension
- Quality Control Analysis
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Coordination
- Complex Problem Solving
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Problem Sensitivity
- Oral Comprehension
- Inductive Reasoning
- Oral Expression
- Written Expression
- Near Vision
- Written Comprehension
- Deductive Reasoning
- Speech Clarity
- Information Ordering
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Integrity
- Leadership Orientation
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Support
- Achievement
- Independence
- Recognition
- Working Conditions
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Bachelor's Degree
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years
On-the-Job Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months
Education Details: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Experience Required: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Adobe Acrobat
- Atlassian JIRA
- Extensible markup language XML
- Linux
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Project
Tools & Equipment
- Automated diluters
- Automated microplate ELISA readers
- Cellular assay equipment
- Computer inkjet printers
- Electrophoresis equipment
- Fourier transfer infrared FTIR spectrometers
- Gas chromatography equipment
- Handheld data collectors
- Infrared spectroscopic equipment
- Laboratory analytical balances
- Laboratory benchtop centrifuges
- Laboratory extraction equipment
- Laboratory moisture balances
- Laptop computers
- Liquid chromatography equipment
Work Environment
- Contact With Others
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
Salary & Job Market
Wages reported for the broader Industrial Production Managers occupational group (BLS 2024), which includes Quality Control Systems Managers.
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $74,900 |
| Median | $121,440 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $197,310 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 234,380
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Quality Control Analysts
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $60,130
Validation Engineers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $101,140
Industrial Engineers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $101,140
Industrial Production Managers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $121,440
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $102,610
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.