What is a quality program manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Todd Terry

A quality program manager oversees and manages programs that meet specific quality standards. They develop and implement processes designed to ensure consistent quality across all aspects of a project, from planning to delivery. This involves working closely with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to identify areas for improvement. A quality program manager must be detail-oriented with strong communication skills, possessing a deep understanding of quality management principles and methodologies.

What's a day at work look like for a Quality Program Manager?

Todd Terry

Department Chair, Management, Davenport University

What once was well defined with working hours, an office space, coworkers being close by to develop relationships with seems to be misplaced during the current working environment. In the working situation we are in today, graduates will need to be flexible with working hours as work hours may not be defined and could change by day. Office space may mean that one is working remotely from home. Building of relationships with coworkers will be done using technology as coworkers may be located in many different areas or time zones.
In general business will continue to function remotely. The pandemic has created a sense of creativity in how business is done. The one major component the pandemic has created is where large and small businesses are conducting daily business functions from remote locations. This practice has proven that business can be effectively done without having to travel to distant locations. Consequently, business travel will be continue to be slow.

ScoreQuality Program ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $103,840

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.8

Growth Rate 3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 9.20%

Black or African American 3.87%

Hispanic or Latino 13.27%

Unknown 3.87%

White 69.28%

Gender

female 34.44%

male 65.56%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress Level

9.8

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.6

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.5

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Quality Program Manager?

Pros

Chance to work on multiple projects simultaneously
Good salary and benefits
Potential for career growth and advancement
Opportunity to develop skills in project management, problem-solving, and leadership
Positive impact on the company's reputation and success

Cons

Heavy workload and long hours
Tight deadlines
Stress from dealing with difficult clients and/or team members
Demand for attention to detail can be overwhelming
Pressure to maintain compliance with quality standards

Key steps to become a quality program manager

Explore quality program manager education requirements

Most common quality program manager degrees

Bachelor's

62.6 %

Master's

21.7 %

Associate

10.9 %

Start to develop specific quality program manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Analysis	10.92%
Oversight	8.81%
Project Management	6.67%
Sigma	5.25%
Continuous Improvement	4.74%

Complete relevant quality program manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New quality program managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a quality program manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real quality program manager resumes.

Research quality program manager duties and responsibilities

Define a new department process for documenting and managing bugs with JIRA.
Lead internal team that oversee quality outputs, KPIs and processes at outsource call centers.
Manage customer relations, specifications, and testing procedures for QC functions concerning technical, pharmaceutical, and food grade products.
Manage PPAP document generation for automotive products.

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When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your quality program manager resume.

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