Quality control technicians: Quality Technician Job Description

Quality Control Technician Manufacturing General

Quality control technicians are responsible for checking that products and services meet required quality and safety standards such as ISO 9001:2015, the matrix Standard and Investors in People. They work in a wide range of industries including food and drink, electronics and pharmaceuticals.

The Work

You could be:

• making sure that measuring and testing equipment are set up and working correctly
• inspecting and testing samples of products
• dealing with customer complaints and passing the information onto suppliers
• collecting information and writing reports on your findings to be passed on to managers
• checking that production methods meet relevant legislation
• keeping accurate results of checks and tests carried out
• testing products bought from suppliers and keeping records of suppliers’ performance
• identifying inconsistencies and faults and finding the cause
• setting up and managing quality control systems.

Pay

The figures below are only a guide. Actual pay rates may vary, depending on:

• where you work
• the size of company or organisation you work for
• the demand for the job.

Starting salary for quality technicians is around £11.00 to £13.00 an hour. With experience this can rise to £25,000 to £35,000. Managers can earn £40,000 or more.

Conditions

• You could work in any type of organisation, in either the private or public sectors.
• You would be based in an office, a laboratory or on a production line.
• You would usually work normal office hours, Monday to Friday, but some weekend work may be required.
• If working in manufacturing you may have to work shifts including evenings, nights and weekends.
• In a factory the environment might be dirty, dusty and noisy.
• You may have to wear protective clothing to stop contamination.

Workforce Employment Status

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Getting In

• Most employers will look for at least 4 subjects at National 4 or 5 including English, Maths and a science subject.
• Many entrants already have experience from working on the factory production line or shop floor.
• For specialised and technical jobs you may need an HND (SCQF Level 8) or degree (SCQF Level 9-11) in a science or engineering discipline.
• You may be able to train as an apprentice and work your way up to a quality control position.
• Knowledge of quality standards and working methods would be useful.

Jobs are advertised on recruitment websites including Find a Job.

What Does it Take?

You should have:

• excellent spoken and written communication skills
• an accurate and methodical approach to work
• an interest in analysing and interpreting statistics
• the ability to prioritise your workload and meet deadlines
• strong attention to detail
• strong problem solving skills.

You need to be:

• able to work as part of a team
• computer literate
• willing to keep up to date with legislation and standards
• able to multi task.

Training

• Training is usually on the job with assistance from more experienced colleagues.
• The Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) offer recognised professional qualifications at foundation, practitioner and professional levels.
• Depending on which industry you work in, you may need to do specialised training. For example, in food and drink you may need to do Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) training.

Getting On

• With experience and further qualifications you could become a quality manager.
• You could go into work in a related area such as production management.

Video

Credit to Careeronestop

Contacts

The following organisations may be able to provide further information.

Chartered Quality Institute


Tel: 020 7245 6877


E-mail:
[email protected]


Website:
http://www.quality.org/



Twitter:
@Qualityworld

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What is A Quality Control Technician?

As a Quality Control Technician, you will test and assess materials before, during, and after a production process in order to ensure efficiency. You will implement policies and regulations, maintain a productive and safe working environment, and produce reports.

Since you are dealing with a lot of information as a Quality Control Technician, you need to have great analytical skills. You need to be able to identify relevant information from the pool of information you have and interpret data in the best way possible. Next is communication skills. You need to always be clear and efficient when communicating with the people you’re working with. Lastly, you need to be detail-oriented and mindful of details at all times.

You can earn an annual average salary of $35,038 as a Quality Control Technician. You can also explore other careers and climb up your career ladder after some time. You can be a Laboratory Technician, a Quality Assistance Technician, a Quality Assurance Supervisor, or a Quality Assurance Manager.

What Does a Quality Control Technician Do

There are certain skills that many quality control technicians have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and detail oriented.

Learn more about what a Quality Control Technician does

How To Become a Quality Control Technician

If you’re interested in becoming a quality control technician, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We’ve determined that 52.4% of quality control technicians have a bachelor’s degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.0% of quality control technicians have master’s degrees. Even though most quality control technicians have a college degree, it’s possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Quality Control Technician

Quality Control Technician Job Description

A quality control technician is a trained quality assurance professional in charge of ensuring that a company’s quality policies are being followed. Their duties include designing and fixing procedures, conducting equipment repairs and tests, and consulting management-level employees.

Learn more about Quality Control Technician Job Description

Top Quality Control Technician Jobs Near You

Quality Control Technician Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what’s a career path you ask? Well, it’s practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of laboratory technician you might progress to a role such as quality assurance technician eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title quality assurance manager.

Quality Control Technician

Laboratory TechnicianQuality Assurance TechnicianQuality Assurance Supervisor

Quality Assurance Manager

9 Years

Quality Assurance TechnicianQuality Assurance SupervisorQuality Assurance Manager

Quality Manager

11 Years

Laboratory TechnicianTechnicianProduction Supervisor

Plant Manager

11 Years

Laboratory TechnicianTeam LeaderOperations Manager

Senior Operations Manager

9 Years

TechnicianTeam LeaderProduction Supervisor

Manufacturing Manager

10 Years

TechnicianSpecialistBuyer

Material Manager

9 Years

Show More

Top Careers Before Quality Control Technician

Laboratory Technician(84,357 Jobs)

13. 9 %

Quality Control Inspector(92,794 Jobs)

Cashier(456,110 Jobs)

Top Careers After Quality Control Technician

Laboratory Technician(84,357 Jobs)

10.6 %

Quality Assurance Technician(81,534 Jobs)

Quality Control Inspector(92,794 Jobs)

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Quality Control Technicians in America make an average salary of $40,337 per year or $19 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $51,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $31,000 per year.

Average Quality Control Technician Salary

$40,337 Yearly

$19. 39 hourly

$31,000

10%

$40,000

Median

$51,000

90%

See More Salary Information

What Am I Worth?

Roles and Types of Quality Control Technician

The role of a quality control technician includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual’s specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general quality control technician responsibilities:

• Maintain the data archives and samples train technicians
• Creation of sops verification and updating of previously created sops auditing current processes to ensure compliance with quality auditing finished product to ensure compliance with standards training individuals on quality procedures
• The temporary qa/qc technician performs quality control functions independently or under moderate instruction including: inspection

There are several types of quality control technician, including:

Laboratory Technician

Role:

As a laboratory technician, you get to do all the nitty gritty work, like collecting samples. But you also get to study and take part in conducting tests. So it’s not all nitty gritty, at least.

The majority of your day as a laboratory technician will be spent in a lab, surrounded by bodily fluids, chemicals, and organic matter. If any of that makes you squirmish just thinking about it, then it’s not too late to turn back.

Employers prefer that you have a bachelor’s degree before pursuing a position as a laboratory tech, but associate degrees are also welcome. Before you start, you’ll need to rack up a few years of experience in lab work. It probably wouldn’t be a good thing if you blew up the lab on your first day.

• Average Salary: $40,038
• Degree: Bachelor’s Degree

Quality Control Inspector

Role:

Quality Control Inspectors are in charge of looking for defects in product specifications. While that may sound like it requires schooling, you really only need a high school degree because you’ll go through on-the-job training, which will tell you everything you need to know.

Things may get a little dusty on the job. So you might want to invest in a good pair of goggles to wear. Maybe even a mask to cover your nose and mouth. There’s no sense in covering your lungs in a layer of dust after all.

Speaking about being on the job, you’ll most likely work in a manufacturing plant. The work environments are known to be a little loud, so maybe you want to bring some ear plugs as well. You know what? Just to be safe, you might just want to put yourself in a bubble. At least, that way you’ll never get hurt, right?

• Average Salary: $35,018
• Degree: High School Diploma

Engineering Technician

Role:

Equipment, construction and design all have one thing in common. They all need to be inspected and tested by engineering technicians. Once you’ve done that, then it’s time to type up a report of what you analyzed.

Occassionally, you’ll be able to help draw up blueprints and plans for products and equipment. If you like coloring inside the lines, this job may be perfect for you. While you won’t be coloring inside any lines (probably), you will get to draw very straight lines which can be aesthetically pleasing.

Engineering technicians can usually get by with just a bachelor’s degree. That’s enough to appease the average employer.

• Average Salary: $60,273
• Degree: Bachelor’s Degree

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States With The Most Quality Control Technician Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active quality control technician jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where quality control technicians earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Quality Control Technician Jobs By State

Quality Control Technician Education

Quality Control Technician Majors

Biology

20. 7 %

Business

15.3 %

Chemistry

14.7 %

Quality Control Technician Degrees

Bachelors

52.4 %

Associate

22.1 %

High School Diploma

13.5 %

Top Colleges for Quality Control Technicians

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

6. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

7.

California State University – Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

8. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

9. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

10. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we’ve found all of the skills you’ll need so even if you don’t have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 6.6% of quality control technicians listed lab equipment on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.

• Lab Equipment, 6.6%
• Quality Control Tests, 6.1%
• Test Results, 5.6%
• Asphalt, 5.2%
• Quality Products, 4.3%
• Other Skills, 72.2%

Quality Control Technician Demographics

Quality Control Technician Gender Distribution

Female

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia’s data science team found that:

• Among quality control technicians, 36.9% of them are women, while 63.1% are men.

• The most common race/ethnicity among quality control technicians is White, which makes up 60.0% of all quality control technicians.

• The most common foreign language among quality control technicians is Spanish at 67.5%.

Online Courses For Quality Control Technician That You May Like

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ISO 9001:2015-Quality Management System Implementation & Audit

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SAP Quality Management – SAP QM – Training Course

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How Do Quality Control Technician Rate Their Jobs?

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Top Quality Control Technician Employers

Quality Control Technician Videos

Career Profile: Quality Assurance Laboratory Technician

Quality Control Technician

Quality Control Associate

Becoming a Quality Control Technician FAQs

How Do I Become A Quality Technician?

To become a qualified technician, you need a high school diploma and the ability to land an entry-level position. In many cases, the employer will provide newly hired quality technicians with all of the training needed for the job. However, there are some quality technician positions that require an associate’s degree or technical certification.

How Do I Start A Career In Quality Control?

To start a career in quality control begins with a high school diploma and the ability to land an entry-level position. For many quality control positions, the employer will provide on-the-job training.

What Are Some Skills Needed To Be A Quality Control Technician?

Some skills needed to be a quality control technician include attention to detail, a thorough understanding of the products and materials, and the ability to detect any defects or deviations from specifications.

What Degree Do You Need To Be A Quality Control Technician?

No degree is needed to be a quality control technician. For most positions, just a high school diploma or GED and a willingness to learn are all you need. For many quality control technician positions, employers will train from within.

What Is The Main Qualification For Quality Control?

The main qualifications for quality control are a high school diploma and the ability to complete on-the-job training. In some cases, depending on the field and specialization, an associate’s degree or technical certifications may be needed.

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.

Search For Quality Control Technician Jobs

Updated February 6, 2023

Specialist in the technical control of products

Revenden professions

-Technician

-Quality Engineer

-Technologist (Technologist)

Sphere of Professional Activities

9000

• Food production, including drinks
• Textile industry
• Manufacture of clothing
• Dressing and dyeing of fur
• Manufacture of leather, leather goods and footwear
• Woodworking and manufacture of articles of wood and cork, other than furniture
• Manufacture of pulp, wood pulp, paper, paperboard and articles thereof
• Publishing and printing activities, reproduction of recorded media
• Chemical production
• Manufacture of rubber and plastic products
• Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products
• Metallurgical production
• Manufacture of fabricated metal products
• Manufacture of machinery and equipment
• Manufacture of machinery and equipment
• Manufacture of electronic components, apparatus for radio, television and communications;
• Manufacture of medical devices, measuring instruments, control, management and testing
• Manufacture of optical instruments, photographic and film equipment, watches
• Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers
• Manufacture of ships, aircraft and spacecraft and other vehicles
• Processing of secondary raw materials
• Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles
• Technical testing, research and certification

Occupation classification

Occupation type according to the subject of labor: “Man – Sign System”, as it is associated with work with sign information (texts, numbers, tables).

Occupation class: refers to heuristic (creative) and algorithmic (executive) and is associated, on the one hand, with the implementation of decisions of managers, work according to a given model, compliance with rules and regulations, instructions (algorithms), stereotyped (standard) decision problems, the ability to clearly follow instructions and instructions, on the other hand, with analysis, research, planning, control, motivation, management of other people.

Additional type of profession: “Man – Man”, as it is associated with communication, interaction with people.

Occupation description

Technical product quality control specialist is not just an employee who controls the quality of products, it is a specialist who knows how to organize the work of the enterprise so that the consumer of the product is satisfied, and the client is satisfied with the services provided. Professional activities include:

– continuous study of production processes in order to identify productive activities and losses;

– identification of necessary improvements and development of new, more effective means of quality control;

— technological foundations for the formation of quality and labor productivity;

– metrological support for the design, production, operation of technical products and systems;

— development of methods and means for improving the safety and environmental friendliness of technological processes;

– organization of work on the implementation of information technologies in quality management and information protection;

— participation in certification of quality management systems;

— organization of actions necessary for the effective operation of the quality management system;

– the content of management accounting and the practical use of indicators of variable and fixed costs for ensuring product quality;

– management of material and information flows in the production of products and the provision of services under the conditions of total quality management;

– control and testing in the production process;

– carrying out activities to improve the quality of products and services;

– development of modern methods for designing quality management systems, the formation of project goals, criteria and indicators for achieving goals, building the structure of their relationships, identifying priorities for solving problems, taking into account the moral aspects of activity;

– design and improvement of communication processes and procedures for recognizing the merits of a job well done;

– the use of information technology and computer-aided design systems in the professional field based on a systematic approach;

– designing models of quality management systems with the construction of generalized options for solving the problem and analyzing these options, predicting the consequences of each option, finding a solution in conditions of multi-criteria and uncertainty.

Requirements for the individual characteristics of a specialist

Professionally important qualities include:

— responsibility;

impartiality;

– independence;

– adherence to principles;

– honesty.

Personal qualities include :

— attention to detail;

– propensity for painstaking work;

– good memory;

– good vision and color perception.

Medical contraindications

• Congenital malformations, deformities, chromosomal abnormalities with persistent significant dysfunction of organs and systems.
• Diseases of the central nervous system with motor and sensory disorders, disorders of coordination and statics, cognitive and mnestic-intellectual disorders.
• Narcolepsy and cataplexy, epilepsy.
• Mental illness with severe, frequent painful manifestations.
• Alcoholism, substance abuse, drug addiction.
• Diseases of the endocrine system of a progressive course with signs of damage to other organs and systems and a violation of their function of 3-4 degrees.
• Malignant neoplasms of any localization.
• Diseases of the blood and hematopoietic organs with progressive and recurrent course.
• Chronic diseases of the heart and pericardium with circulatory failure of any degree.
• Severe disorders of the autonomic (autonomic) nervous system.
• Varicose disease of the lower extremities with symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency of grade 3 and above.
• Rheumatism: active phase, with damage to the heart and other organs and systems and chronic heart failure of 2-3 degrees.
• Diseases of the bronchopulmonary system with symptoms of respiratory failure or pulmonary heart failure of 2-3 degrees.
• Active forms of tuberculosis of any localization.
• Complicated course of gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer with chronic often recurrent course.
• Chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and other liver diseases.
• Chronic diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract with symptoms of chronic renal failure of 2-3 degrees.
• Chronic skin diseases: eczema; psoriasis, erythroderma, ichthyosis, chronic progressive atopic dermatitis.
• Diseases and bacterial carriage of infectious and parasitic diseases: typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, salmonellosis, dysentery, helminthiases, infections of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, ozena.
• Pregnancy and lactation.
• High myopia or complicated myopia.
• Complicated cataract.
• Degenerative-dystrophic diseases of the retina, glaucoma of any stage with an unstabilized course.
• Violations of the function of the vestibular apparatus of any etiology.
• Persistent hearing loss (3 or more months) of any etiology, unilateral or bilateral hearing loss, deafness and III, IV degree of hearing loss.

Professional training requirements

Product quality control specialist must know: