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What is the highest salary in QA?

Published in Quality Assurance Salaries 2 mins read

The highest reported salary for a role specifically within Quality Assurance (QA) can reach $225,000. This top figure is typically observed for experienced professionals in a QA Manager position.

Understanding Salaries in Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance (QA) professionals play a crucial role in ensuring that software products, systems, and services meet specified quality standards. Their work involves planning, designing, and executing tests, identifying defects, and working with development teams to resolve issues. While the term "QA" often brings to mind manual or automated testing, leadership roles like QA Manager involve strategic oversight, team management, and process improvement, commanding higher salaries.

Several factors influence the earning potential within QA, including:

  • Experience Level: Entry-level QA engineers will earn significantly less than senior or principal engineers and managers.
  • Geographic Location: Major tech hubs and high cost-of-living areas often offer higher salaries.
  • Company Size and Type: Larger corporations or tech giants may offer more competitive compensation packages than smaller startups.
  • Specialized Skills: Expertise in specific automation tools (e.g., Selenium, Playwright), performance testing, security testing, or niche industries can increase salary.
  • Management Responsibilities: Roles that involve leading teams, managing projects, and strategic planning typically have the highest earning ceilings.

Top Salaries in Quality Assurance and Related Engineering Fields

While the question focuses specifically on QA, it's helpful to understand how QA management salaries compare to other high-paying engineering roles often found within the same tech organizations. The highest reported salary for a dedicated QA role is for a QA Manager.

Here's a breakdown of salary ranges for various roles, highlighting the maximum potential earnings:

Job Title Average Salary Maximum Salary
QA Manager $131,311 $225,000
DevOps Engineer $132,660 $250,000
Cloud Security Engineer $135,598 $250,000
Robotics Engineer $136,642 $302,000

Salaries can vary based on market conditions, specific company requirements, and individual qualifications.

As evident from the table, a QA Manager role can command a substantial salary, reaching up to $225,000. While other engineering disciplines like DevOps, Cloud Security, and Robotics engineering may show higher maximums, these are distinct fields from traditional Quality Assurance, even though they often collaborate within the same development lifecycle. For those specifically targeting the highest earning potential within a pure QA capacity, advancing to a QA Manager or a similar leadership position is the most direct path.

To explore more about QA engineer salaries and career paths, you can refer to insights from industry salary reports.