Quality Control Analysts
ManufacturingO*NET 19-4099.01United States
Conduct tests to determine quality of raw materials, bulk intermediate and finished products. May conduct stability sample tests.
- Median annual earnings
- $62,006
- Projected change
- +7.6%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 85.49K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
43.4% of the workforce
Growing to 91.99K by 2035
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The work
What quality control analysts do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Interpret test results, compare them to established specifications and control limits, and make recommendations on appropriateness of data for release.
- Conduct routine and non-routine analyses of in-process materials, raw materials, environmental samples, finished goods, or stability samples.
- Calibrate, validate, or maintain laboratory equipment.
- Perform visual inspections of finished products.
- Ensure that lab cleanliness and safety standards are maintained.
- Complete documentation needed to support testing procedures, including data capture forms, equipment logbooks, or inventory forms.
- Identify and troubleshoot equipment problems.
- Compile laboratory test data and perform appropriate analyses.
- Write technical reports or documentation, such as deviation reports, testing protocols, and trend analyses.
- Investigate or report questionable test results.
- Monitor testing procedures to ensure that all tests are performed according to established item specifications, standard test methods, or protocols.
- Receive and inspect raw materials.
- Participate in out-of-specification and failure investigations and recommend corrective actions.
- Identify quality problems and recommend solutions.
- Train other analysts to perform laboratory procedures and assays.
- Serve as a technical liaison between quality control and other departments, vendors, or contractors.
- Supply quality control data necessary for regulatory submissions.
- Participate in internal assessments and audits as required.
- Write or revise standard quality control operating procedures.
- Perform validations or transfers of analytical methods in accordance with applicable policies or guidelines.
- Evaluate analytical methods and procedures to determine how they might be improved.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $38,226
- 25th percentile
- $47,454
- 50th percentile
- $62,006
- 75th percentile
- $80,607
- 90th percentile
- $107,073
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $62,006 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+7.6%faster than average
202585,493 jobs
2035 projected91,985 jobs
6,492 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 43.4%
- Bachelor's degree
- 27.9%
- Associate degree
- 10.2%
- Certificate
- 9.6%
- Some college
- 8.8%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Quality Control Analysts1,380 postings
- 02Quality Control Inspectors1,067 postings
- 03Quality Control Specialists547 postings
- 04Quality Control Associates199 postings
- 05Quality Control Microbiology Analysts154 postings
- 06Quality Control Scientists123 postings
- 07IC Specialists113 postings
- 08Quality Control Laboratory Analysts112 postings
- 09Quality Control Chemists74 postings
- 10Quality Specialists66 postings
- 11IT Quality Control Analysts63 postings
- 12Flow Cytometry Specialists51 postings
- 13Principals44 postings
- 14Quality Analysts38 postings
- 15Quality Control Laboratory Managers37 postings
- 16Cell Therapy Specialists36 postings
- 17Quality Control Leads34 postings
- 18Manufacturing Quality Managers32 postings
- 19Data Migration Specialists31 postings
- 20Raw Materials Specialists31 postings
Top employers
- 01Actalent215 postings
- 02CDM Smith125 postings
- 03Kelly Services106 postings
- 04Randstad97 postings
- 05Insight Global82 postings
- 06Merck & Co.78 postings
- 07Spectraforce Technologies73 postings
- 08Jmd Technologies62 postings
- 09Aequor57 postings
- 10Planet Pharma57 postings
- 11Lonza49 postings
- 12Northrop Grumman47 postings
- 13Astrix44 postings
- 14Aerotek42 postings
- 15Eurofins40 postings
- 16Astrix Technology Group35 postings
- 17Fujifilm35 postings
- 18Thermo Fisher Scientific33 postings
- 19Astrix Technology32 postings
- 20Mindlance30 postings
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