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Admin, HR, legal

Quality assurance manager

Quality assurance managers make sure a company's products and services meet and maintain set standards.

Annual Salary

£23,000 to £55,000

Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

37 to 39 a week

You could work: between 8am and 6pm; on shifts

2.4%
Future employment

There will be 2.4% more Quality assurance manager jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

You day to day tasks will vary depending on the sector you work in. You could:

  • use quality assurance software to analyse and improve standards
  • review policies and plan how to improve quality management systems
  • inspect and test products and production processes
  • measure performance and recommend improvements
  • make sure policies and procedures meet national and international quality standards
  • assess the effectiveness of changes to processes or production
  • manage a team of quality control technicians
  • train staff

Working environment

You may need to wear smart business clothes.

You could work in a factory, in an office or visit sites.

Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • applying directly
University

You could do a degree or postgraduate qualification in:

  • production management
  • business studies
  • human resources management
  • business administration

You may need a degree that is specific to the industry you want to work in, like:science; construction; engineering; pharmaceuticals

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
  • university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/
Apprenticeship

The following apprenticeship may be relevant to this role:

  • level 4 Quality practitioner

This apprenticeship typically takes 14 months to complete.

You could work in any kind of industry or sector that has quality control processes.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
For more information
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
Work

You could work as a quality control assistant and move into quality assurance management by doing training on the job, for example through the Chartered Quality Institute.

Direct application

You could apply for jobs directly if you've got experience in quality control and management from other industries.

More information

Career tips

An understanding of British quality standards and working methods will be useful when applying for jobs in quality control.

Knowledge of business improvement methods like lean management and Six Sigma will also be helpful.

Further information

You can find out more about working in quality management through the Chartered Quality Institute.

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You could move into senior management or work as a freelance quality consultant.

Other options include careers in health and safety, project management and business analysis.

You can find out more about working in quality management through the Chartered Quality Institute.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • the ability to analyse quality or performance
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • analytical thinking skills
  • the ability to monitor your own performance and that of your colleagues
  • concentration skills
  • business management skills
  • leadership skills
  • the ability to use your judgement and make decisions
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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