Quality assurance officer
Are you meticulous about small details? If so, you could make your living helping to keep products and services at the highest standard.
Also known as: quality assurance scientist
About the job
Salary
Source: National Careers Service
Weekly
£385
Entry level
£577
Experienced
Monthly
£1,667
Entry level
£2,500
Experienced
Yearly
£20,000
Entry level
£30,000
Experienced
4,800
people are currently employed
Low growth
No change in number of jobs in 5 years
These figures refer to this job and similar ones with comparable skills and qualifications. They only apply to Scotland. Source: Oxford Economics
What it's like
You’ll need to be good at analysing products, situations and data, as well as problem solving to find better ways of working. Writing processes and making recommendations is only part of your job; you’ll also need to be good at motivating people to put them into practice.
For example, you might analyse new products to check they’re safe to use. Or you might use quality assurance software to check your company’s work meets customer expectations. If anything falls short, you’ll recommend what to change.
Sometimes your work will be motivated by meeting legal standards – and keeping your organisation on the right side of health and safety law. At other times, your focus will be on the standards set by the business itself. Laws and industry trends change all the time, so you’ll need to keep up to date and react quickly when changes happen.
What you’ll do
Conduct quality audits and inspections on new products and services
Provide feedback after audits and recommend ways to improve
Make sure all products and processes comply with safety standards
Investigate complaints to identify how an issue occurred and suggest ways to stop it happening again
Manage a team of quality control technicians
Work with colleagues to develop new procedures for product analysis
Keep up to date with product trends
Hours
Environment
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Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Here are some of the skills you'll need to do this job:
- analysing
- attention to detail
- problem solving
- evaluating
- written communication
- working with technology
- verbal communication
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore the sections shown for more information about getting into this career.
You might have qualifications which are not shown here but will allow you access to a course. You can compare your qualifications by looking at their SCQF Level. For more information about this, check out the SCQF website.
Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Business Management
Mathematics
Physics
Foundation Apprenticeship: Business Skills
Foundation Apprenticeship: Engineering
Applications of Mathematics
You can get a head start in this career by doing a Foundation Apprenticeship in S5 and S6.
You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification which is the same level as a Higher. You'll also learn new skills and gain valuable experience in a work environment.
Discover what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.
You can develop the necessary skills for this role through a variety of routes.
Although there is no set entry route, a qualification in a relevant area, such as business management, would be useful, especially if it included quality assurance modules.
Also, 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
Apprenticeships
You can gain skills and qualifications in the workplace through options such as:
Foundation Apprenticeships (FAs) are chosen as one of your subjects in S5 and S6 but include hands-on learning at a local employer or college. They are the same level as a Higher.
You might want to consider an FA in areas such as:
Business skills
Engineering
Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) mean you learn on the job. You get paid and work towards a qualification at the same time.
You might want to consider an MA in areas such as:
Engineering
Management
Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs) are designed for industry and you'll spend most of your time learning on the job but you'll also go to uni or college. You'll get a job, get paid and work towards a qualification at the same time.
You might want to consider a GA in areas such as:
Business management
Engineering
Not all employers list specific qualification requirements but they might ask for relevant experience, usually work based, that show a range of transferable skills.
You may want to consider joining the CQI (Chartered Quality Institute) who offer recognised professional qualifications as well as access to networking opportunities and events.
Technology is always evolving so you will be required to keep up to date with new developments within the industry.
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