If your equipment starts producing defective products, who do you call? Quality control systems managers! In fact, call them before you notice something is wrong; quality control is a necessary and ongoing process. Quality control systems managers generally work in laboratories and factories, but may also find roles in healthcare. They collect and analyze samples from their production lines and services every day to make sure everything is going as planned. Whether your product is a Frisbee, a car, a food item, or a healthcare service, as a quality control manager, it’s your job to meet standards, comply with regulations, and continuously improve quality. If a problem occurs, these managers need to troubleshoot the process to find a solution and communicate with all of the departments, vendors, and contractors who might be affected by it. On the people side, they supervise employees, and personally advise customers on technical issues. Quality control systems managers often have a four-year degree related to their industry. They must be well versed in quality systems, statistics, and risk analysis. But for these professionals, their work experience is a more important credential. While they usually work typical business hours, overtime might be necessary when big production deadlines approach.
What they do:
Conduct tests to determine quality of raw materials, bulk intermediate and finished products. May conduct stability sample tests.
On the job, you would:
Conduct routine and non-routine analyses of in-process materials, raw materials, environmental samples, finished goods, or stability samples.
Interpret test results, compare them to established specifications and control limits, and make recommendations on appropriateness of data for release.
Perform visual inspections of finished products.
Math and Science
chemistry
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
Arts and Humanities
English language
Engineering and Technology
computers and electronics
Manufactured or Agricultural Goods
manufacture and distribution of products
Basic Skills
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
reading work related information
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Verbal
listen and understand what people say
communicate by speaking
Ideas and Logic
notice when problems happen
use rules to solve problems
Visual Understanding
quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things
see hidden patterns
People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines.
They do well at jobs that need:
Attention to Detail
Integrity
Cooperation
Adaptability/Flexibility
Dependability
Independence
You might use software like this on the job:
Program testing software
Hewlett Packard LoadRunner
Selenium
Analytical or scientific software
Minitab
The MathWorks MATLAB
Data base user interface and query software
Microsoft Access
Structured query language SQL
bachelor's degree or some college usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
$49,670
$29,830
$80,370
You might like a career in one of these industries:
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