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Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager Salary in Berkeley, CA

How much does a Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager make in Berkeley, CA?

As of July 01, 2026, the average salary for a Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager in Berkeley, CA is $203,363 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $98.

However, a Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $230,815
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $187,125 to $217,732
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $172,340
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View as table View as graph 25% $187,125 10% $172,340 90% $230,815 75% $217,732 $203,363 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary		 Monthly
Pay		 Weekly
Pay		 Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $217,732 $18,144 $4,187 $105
Average $203,363 $16,947 $3,911 $98
25th Percentile $187,125 $15,594 $3,599 $90
Check out Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager Job Openings in Berkeley, CA
Information Technology Assurance Specialist

ManTech International - Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA

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Eckert & Ziegler Isotope Products, Inc. - Saugus, CA

Vice President Technical Assurance&amp Readiness

Confidential - San Diego, CA

Vice President Technical Assurance&amp Readiness

Confidential - San Jose, CA

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Key Factors That Influence Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager Salaries

A Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, skills, and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Software Quality Assurance Engineer VI (10-12 years): $215,949
  • Software Quality Assurance Supervisor (12+ years): $147,448
  • Software Quality Assurance Manager (12+ years): $168,279
  • Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager (12+ years): $203,363
  • Software Quality Assurance Director (12+ years): $233,769
Job Role Years of Experience Average Salary
Software Quality Assurance Engineer VI10-12 years$215,949
Software Quality Assurance Supervisor12+ years$147,448
Software Quality Assurance Manager12+ years$168,279
Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager12+ years$203,363
Software Quality Assurance Director12+ years$233,769
$215,949 Software ...
$147,448 Software ...
$168,279 Software ...
$203,363 Software ...
$233,769 Software ...
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Software Quality Assurance Senior Managers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $209,802
  • San Francisco: $207,505
  • Oakland: $203,132

What Skills Can Increase a Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Leadership (Mentioned in 14.6% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
  • Performance Testing (Mentioned in 2.19% Job Postings): Software performance testing, a procedure to determine how a system performs under a particular workload. In software quality assurance, performance testing is in general a testing practice performed to determine how a system performs in terms of responsiveness and stability under a particular workload. It can also serve to investigate, measure, validate or verify other quality attributes of the system, such as scalability, reliability and resource usage. Performance testing, a subset of performance engineering, is a computer science practice which strives to build performance standards into the implementation, design and architecture of a system.
  • DevOps (Mentioned in 1.46% Job Postings): Automating and integrating the efforts of IT operations and development teams to deliver software applications faster.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Leadership 14.6%
Performance Testing 2.19%
DevOps 1.46%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager's salary.
  • Resource Allocation: Can increase your salary by up to 28%.
  • System Testing: Can increase your salary by up to 26%.
  • Goal Setting: Can increase your salary by up to 22%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Resource Allocation
 $260,305
28%
System Testing
 $256,238
26%
Goal Setting
 $248,103
22%
Results Oriented
 $235,901
16%
Networking
 $231,834
14%
SQL Server
 $219,632
8%
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Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise

Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager salary potential scales significantly with company size. Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $227,460. While startup companies pay approximate $192,363.

Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager Salary by Company Size

Company Size Employees Average Salary
Startup1~50$192,363
Growth Stage51~500$203,454
Established501~5000$219,656
Enterprise5000+$227,460

Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Software & Networking and Internet sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average. In contrast, Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit or Transportation typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Software & Networking$244,036$117.020%
Internet$239,969$115.018%
Pharmaceuticals$233,868$112.015%
Biotechnology$227,767$110.012%
Financial Services$223,699$108.010%

Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

  • Yearly
  • Monthly
  • Weekly
  • Hourly
  • Table View
Last Updated on July 01, 2026
$187,125
Average $203,363/year
$217,732
$15,594
Average $16,947/month
$18,144
$3,599
Average $3,911/week
$4,187
$90
Average $98/hour
$105
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $217,732 $18,144 $4,187 $105
Average $203,363 $16,947 $3,911 $98
25th Percentile $187,125 $15,594 $3,599 $90

Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager Salary Growth & Career Path

Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager
Software Quality Assurance Director

For a Software Quality Assurance Senior Manager, the most direct path to higher earnings is advancing to the Software Quality Assurance Director role. This promotion typically comes with a significant pay increase, bringing the average annual salary to $233,769 - a projected growth of 15% over your current level.

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Cost of Living In Berkeley, CA

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