icon
Select
icon
Customize
icon
Download

Want a stronger resume? Use our extensive library of professional resume examples as practical starting guides. You’ll also find ready-made content with our helpful Resume Builder – simple click, customize, and download.

Find out what is the best resume for you in our Ultimate Resume Format Guide.

icon

QA Engineer Duties and Responsibilities

Ensuring every step of the production process meets quality standards involves many different tasks. We analyzed QA engineer job descriptions to come up with the following list of common QA engineer duties and responsibilities:

Establish and Maintain Quality Management Systems QA engineers create the quality management policies and procedures that are followed by all employees who are a part of the production process. These systems are created to the ISO 9000, an independent set of quality assurance standards.

Develop and Monitor Performance Metrics for All Stages of the Production Process QA engineers are responsible for figuring out how to quantify quality in all steps of the production process. This requires a deep understanding of the specific key production performance indicators of their employer.

Inspect the Quality of Raw Production Materials Collaboration with others in the supply chain is vital for QA engineers. They work with the purchasing team to inspect the raw materials coming in from vendors and reporting deficiencies as they are discovered.

Run Various Tests on Finished Products QA engineers create and run the various tests necessary to prove the product performs as intended. These tests vary substantially based on industry.

Determine Root Cause of Faulty Products Deficient products aren’t just discarded and forgotten about. It is the responsibility of the QA engineer to figure out if there is a larger issue behind a dip in quality.

Prepare Regular Quality Reports QA engineers provide regular status reports to management.

icon

QA Engineer Skills

QA engineers need expertise in the principles of industrial engineering. They have to have an intricate understanding of all phases of the production process in order to devise and implement quality management systems. QA engineers also have to be experts in the ISO 9000, the industry-accepted quality assurance standards. These standards are used throughout all quality assurance processes. QA engineers have to be ethical and possess a genuine passion for perfection. In addition to these areas of knowledge and character traits, QA engineers need the following skills to obtain employment:

  • Using knowledge of ISO 9000 to craft and implement quality management systems
  • Analyzing key production performance indicators to determine efficiency at each stage of the production process
  • Creating and conducting tests to ensure products function as designed
  • Identifying deficient products and working with other engineers to find and fix the cause
  • Crafting regular quality assurance reports and presenting them to management
icon

QA Engineer Education and Training

QA engineers need a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering to find employment. During their coursework, they cover topics such as operations research, engineering analysis, quality control, simulation, facilities planning, and design.

icon

QA Engineer Salary

According to Glassdoor, the national median salary for QA engineers is $79,967. Those at the high end of the scale make above $108,000, while those at the low end of the scale make below $59,000.

icon

QA Engineer Resources

The following list of resources was composed for aspiring QA engineers who want to build a career in quality assurance:

Society for Quality Assurance – This organization was founded in 1980 and has since grown into one of the most well-known organizations in the field of quality assurance. It has a regulatory resources section on its website that contains vital regulatory information for all types of quality assurance professions. The website also has an education section with an online learning center, as well as a section designated for information on the RQAP certification.

Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers – Although this organization is for all types of industrial engineers, there are several QA engineers among its membership. It offers national and local professional development workshops, as well as digital resources.

Introduction to Statistical Quality Control – This book covers all of the statistical concepts QA engineers use to perform their duties. It is an excellent educational resource.

Total Quality Management: Key Concepts and Case Studie

s – What separates this book from other books on the market is that it contains case studies to back up all of the advice given. It is a wonderful read for both current and aspiring QA engineers.