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Associate Director Quality Assurance Salary in the United States

How much does an Associate Director Quality Assurance make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for an Associate Director Quality Assurance in the United States is $161,113 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $77.

However, an Associate Director Quality Assurance's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $180,269
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $148,631 to $171,140
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $137,267
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Associate Director Quality Assurance Salaries

An Associate Director Quality Assurance'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, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Associate Director Quality Assurance Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Associate Director Quality Assurance'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:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $150,314
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $126,653
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $160,375
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $195,519
  • Expert (over 8 years): $241,233
Levels Salary
Quality A... Level Associate Director Quality Assurance$150,314
Quality A... Level Associate Director Quality Assurance$126,653
Associate... Level Associate Director Quality Assurance$160,375
Quality A... Level Associate Director Quality Assurance$195,519
VP of Qua... Level Associate Director Quality Assurance$241,233
View as Graph

How Do Associate Director Quality Assurance Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Associate Director Quality Assurances. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $178,384.
  • California: $177,708.
  • Massachusetts: $175,339.

Top Paying Cities for Associate Director Quality Assurances

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: $203,212
  • San Francisco: $200,987
  • Oakland: $196,751

What Skills Can Increase an Associate Director Quality Assurance's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Leadership (Mentioned in 4.77% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
  • Continuous Improvement (Mentioned in 2.23% Job Postings): A continual improvement process, also often called a continuous improvement process (abbreviated as CIP or CI), is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes. These efforts can seek "incremental" improvement over time or "breakthrough" improvement all at once. Delivery (customer valued) processes are constantly evaluated and improved in the light of their efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility. Some see CIPs as a meta-process for most management systems (such as business process management, quality management, project management, and program management). W. Edwards Deming, a pioneer of the field, saw it as part of the 'system' whereby feedback from the process and customer were evaluated against organisational goals. The fact that it can be called a management process does not mean that it needs to be executed by 'management'; but rather merely that it makes decisions about the implementation of the delivery process and the design of the delivery process itself.
  • Auditing (Mentioned in 1.46% Job Postings): Auditing refers to the independent examination of financial information of any entity whether profit oriented or not. It is a safeguard measure that prevents corruption.
Skills Demand Percentage
Leadership 4.77%
Continuous Improvement 2.23%
Auditing 1.46%
See More Skills

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 an Associate Director Quality Assurance's salary.

  • Clinical Research: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
  • Oncology: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
  • Clinical Trial: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Clinical Research $178,835
11%
Oncology $177,224
10%
Clinical Trial $177,224
10%
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Associate Director Quality Assurance Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Associate Director Quality Assurance 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 Business Services and Healthcare sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average. In contrast, Associate Director Quality Assurance positions in Transportation or Pharmaceuticals typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Associate Director Quality Assurance as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for an Associate Director Quality Assurance

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Business Services$193,336$93.020%
Healthcare$190,113$91.018%
Aerospace & Defense$185,280$89.015%
Construction$180,447$87.012%
Biotechnology$177,224$85.010%

How Education impacts an Associate Director Quality Assurance's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Associate Director Quality Assurances enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Associate Director Quality Assurance with a Bachelor's Degree is between $158,916 and $166,769).

Associate Director Quality Assurance Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Associate Director Quality Assurance
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.7%
High School 7.0%
Associates 5.0%
Bachelors 40.1%
Masters 43.6%
Doctorate 3.6%
View as Graph

Associate Director Quality Assurance Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Associate Director Quality Assurance'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.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$148,631
Average $161,113/year
$171,140
$12,386
Average $13,426/month
$14,262
$2,858
Average $3,098/week
$3,291
$71
Average $77/hour
$82
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $171,140 $14,262 $3,291 $82
Average $161,113 $13,426 $3,098 $77
25th Percentile $148,631 $12,386 $2,858 $71

Most common benefits for Associate Director Quality Assurance

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Associate Director Quality Assurance

Here are companies hiring for Associate Director Quality Assurance and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Associate Director Quality Assurance

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Associate Director Quality Assurance?

The Business Services industry offers the highest average compensation for Associate Director Quality Assurance roles, with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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