QA Analyst Job Description

Quality assurance analysts use defect data to improve production techniques.

The quality assurance (QA) department in an organization works to ensure that all products meet customer specifications. QA analysts work to determine the root cause of defects to prevent recurrence of the issues and quality problems. The quality assurance analyst uses data collected from inspections and testing procedures to determine the cause of quality issues.

Job Duties

The quality assurance analyst reviews and analyzes quality inspection data to find specific types of quality problems the department or company is experiencing. The analysis provides information on the particular defects that can be addressed. A quality analyst writes and implements test and inspection procedures to obtain the defect information needed for analysis, and report findings from test and inspection data to management.

Quality assurance analysts participate in employee quality improvement teams to reduce defects and quality issues, and make recommendations to improve the production process based on findings from quality assurance analysis. The analyst monitors the procedure to determine if changes significantly improve the process and defect quantities. Quality analysts document results of new procedures after implementation to show quality improvements.

Skills

Analysts must be familiar with quality assurance principles, inspection techniques and testing procedures. Quality assurance analysts must have good verbal and written communications skills to present findings from data analysis. Analysts must have computer skills and familiarity with issue tracking software programs.

Qualifications

Employers require a bachelor’s degree for a quality assurance analyst. Experience in the particular industry and quality assurance techniques is necessary for a QA analyst position. A bachelor’s program in engineering or software development may be required for an analyst position.

Salary

The average salary for a QA analyst is $81,000 as of July 2010, according to Indeed.com.

Job Outlook

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, positions in manufacturing environments are expected to decline between 2008 and 2018, although quality analysts in software development may not see a decline in job growth.

References

• Indeed: Quality Analyst Salary
• Desire2Learn: Quality Assurance Analyst