Side-by-side distribution
Process Engineer
$137,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 31%
- Live roles
- 423
Quality Assurance
$108,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 28%
- Live roles
- 246
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Chemical Process Engineer
Principal Process Engineer, Fuel Cycle
Senior Process Engineer (Power Generation / Gas-to-Power)
Senior / Principal Silicon Photonic Packaging & Process Engineer
Process Engineer (New Grad December 2026)
Process Engineer (New Grad Summer 2027)
SMT Process Engineer
Senior Additive Manufacturing Process Engineer
Senior Manufacturing Process Engineer
Staff Engineer, Process Development and Manufacturing
Highest-paying jobs
Senior QA Manager, GMP GxP Auditing & Vendor Management
Senior Manager, Clinical Quality Assurance
Sr. Manager, Quality Assurance for Quality Control
Quality Assurance Manager
QA Manager, Training Services
Manager, Clinical Review and Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance and Documentation Manager
Principal Analytical QA Specialist, Drug Substance
Senior Technical Program Manager, QA & Developer Experience
Senior Construction Quality Assurance & Control Manager
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Anduril Industries
|
$150,000 | 14 |
| OK Oklo | $130,000 | 6 |
SpaceX
|
$115,000 | 5 |
|
Freeform
|
$209,800 | 4 |
Antora Energy
|
$159,750 | 4 |
| SI Sila | $158,000 | 4 |
Blue Current
|
$135,800 | 4 |
Mariana Minerals
|
$133,750 | 4 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Genetix Biotherapeutics
|
$142,000 | 3 |
Career Team
|
$51,000 | 3 |
|
Revolution Medicines
|
$159,750 | 2 |
Genezen
|
$97,500 | 2 |
Legend Biotech US
|
$90,478 | 2 |
| OP OpenEye | $54,600 | 2 |
|
Corcept Therapeutics
|
$188,730 | 1 |
|
Verra Mobility
|
$180,000 | 1 |
Process Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $175,000 | 3 |
| Los Angeles | $167,500 | 7 |
| New York | $135,000 | 5 |
Quality Assurance salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $151,500 | 3 |
| Los Angeles | $92,500 | 3 |
Process Engineer vs Quality Assurance: which pays more?
The median for Process Engineer is $137,500 per year (typically $110,250–$167,500), versus $108,000 for Quality Assurance ($79,375–$137,588). That puts Process Engineer about 27% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Process Engineer and Quality Assurance are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.