Quality control officer

Quality control officers check that a company's products and services meet quality standards.

Also known as: Quality control technician, quality assurance manager, quality inspector

• Starter salary£24,000 a year
• Experienced£37,000 a year
• Typical hours40 to 43 a week

What you'll do

As a quality control officer, you could:

• inspect and test products and production processes
• check that required standards and regulations are being met
• identify gaps in quality control
• record and report findings to managers
• design, review and update quality control policies
• assess the effectiveness of changes to processes or production
• use quality assurance equipment and software to analyse and improve standards

Working environment

You could work in a laboratory, in a factory, in an office or visit sites.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• the ability to analyse quality or performance
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to work well with others
• excellent verbal communication skills
• to be flexible and open to change
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• the ability to monitor your own performance and that of your colleagues
• active listening skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

How to become a quality control officer

You can get into this job through:

• a university course
• an apprenticeship
• applying directly
• working towards this role
• specialist courses run by professional bodies

University

You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree.

Subjects that cover quality control include:

• production management
• business and management
• manufacturing engineering

You may need a degree that is specific to the industry you want to work in, for example:

• science
• construction
• engineering
• pharmaceuticals

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

Apprenticeship

You could do a Quality Practitioner Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship.

This could take between 1 and 2 years to complete.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Work

You could start work as a quality control assistant and move into a quality officer role by training on the job, for example through the Chartered Quality Institute .

Direct application

You could apply directly for jobs if you have a a experience in quality control.

You'll find job opportunities in any industry or sector that has quality control processes, such as engineering, manufacturing or health and safety .

Other routes

You could take quality control qualifications through the Chartered Quality Institute , or as part of a leadership course from the Chartered Management Institute .

Career path and progression

With experience and training you could become a quality manager, freelance consultant or move into research jobs.

Other options include careers in health and safety, project management and business analysis.

Career tips

You may find it helps when applying for jobs in quality control if you have some knowledge of British quality standards and methods.

You can move into management roles once you have gained experience as a quality control officer.

Guides for this industry

• Manufacturing: pay, interviews and getting started →

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