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Quality manager

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Career outlook for quality manager

UK Salary Ranges

Entry-level

£23,000

Experienced

£55,000

Currently employed in Scotland

8,600

Salary information is provided by the "National Careers Service". "Oxford Economics" supplies job forecasts and employment figures. Due to COVID-19 the jobs market is constantly changing. Some of the information may not reflect the current situation.

What's it like?

If you’re committed to improving business performance and meticulous about meeting standards and requirements, a career as a quality manager could be for you.

Whenever you buy something, whether it be food, a product or a service, you want to know it’s safe and fit for purpose. Quality managers are employed by an organisation to ensure that the product or service they provide meets all internal and external requirements.

What you’ll do

  • Make sure the product or service is fit for purpose
  • Develop quality procedures and standards
  • Make sure customer needs are met
  • Make sure any processes meet required standards
  • Find ways to reduce waste and increase efficiency
  • Gather data on performance and produce statistical reports
  • Measure performance and identify and put into practice any improvements needed
  • Train and manage staff

 

Working conditions

Hours

Working hours can vary depending on the sector. Normal full-time hours will be Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm but some sectors may require shift work.

Environment

You could be office based but may also work elsewhere like a factory or laboratory, depending on your employer and the sector.

Travel

Some travel may be involved to visit customers, carry out audits or investigate issues.

UK employment status

Full-time

84%

Part-time

10%

Self employed

6%

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  • Building relationships
  • Verbal communication
  • Written communication
  • Problem solving
  • Researching
  • Attention to detail
  • Developing a plan
  • Time management
  • Mentoring
  • Taking responsibility

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Getting in

Entry requirements for courses can change. Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.

Foundation Apprenticeships

Choosing a Foundation Apprenticeship as one of your subjects in S5 and S6 can help you get a head start with this type of job.

You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification (the same level as a Higher) plus valuable work placement experience and skills you can't learn in a classroom.

Interested? Find out what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.

Qualifications

Entry requirements for courses can change. Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you’ll need.

There are various paths you can take to get into this job. Use our qualification route map to see what options you have.

Many quality managers have work experience in areas such as project management, engineering or health and safety, demonstrating their understanding of how organisations operate.

If you don't have this experience it may be worth taking a relevant qualification to show that you have an understanding of the area.

Although there is generally no specific degree required, a degree in a relevant area, such as business management, would be useful, especially if it included quality management modules.

As quality managers work in various industries, certain sectors may require industry-specific qualifications so HND’s/degrees in the following subjects could be useful, depending on your chosen industry:

  • engineering and manufacturing
  • food science and technology
  • science technology
  • textile technology
  • production
  • materials science
  • printing and clothing technology

In addition, it may be worth considering a Master’s course – these are available generally in quality management, as well as in specific areas such as food quality management.

A Master's qualification is aimed at those wanting to further their knowledge in a specific area and are seeking to improve their career prospects.  They shouldn't be confused with the Scottish Master of Arts (MA), which is an undergraduate degree awarded by certain universities.

Useful subjects

Many colleges and universities will have required subjects that you must have for entry. They may also highlight additional subjects that they would value. See individual institutions websites for specific entry information. 

Useful subjects would be:

  • Maths
  • Physics

 

Helpful to have

While not all employers list specific qualification requirements they do ask for relevant experience, usually work based, that demonstrates a range of transferable skills.