Quality engineer to industrial quality manager
A quality engineer already meets 38% of what the industrial quality manager role asks for. The move turns on 19 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.9/ 100
1 How much of what an industrial quality manager is expected to do is already part of a quality engineer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the industrial quality manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An industrial quality manager role treats 10 of its required skills as things a quality engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse test data
- audit techniques
- check quality of products on the production line
- check quality of raw materials
- define manufacturing quality criteria
- identify process improvements
What stands in the way is 19 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 20 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An industrial quality manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a quality engineer background worth leading with.
- already held support implementation of quality management systems communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held perform pre-assembly quality checks information skills
- already held define quality standards management skills
- already held communicate test results to other departments communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held audit techniques business, administration and law
- already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 20 carried skills, including the 10 the industrial quality manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 29 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn conduct workplace audits required
- still to learn evaluate industrial hygiene required
- still to learn monitor manufacturing quality standards required
- still to learn record production data for quality control required
- still to learn revise quality control systems documentation required
- optional, not held assess supplier risks optional
- optional, not held inspect material optional
- optional, not held manage manufacturing documentation optional
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- still to learn liaise with industrial professionals required
- still to learn manage corrective actions required
- still to learn provide technical expertise required
- optional, not held advise on manufacturing problems optional
- still to learn identify preventive actions required
- still to learn develop audit plan required
- still to learn perform quality audits required
- optional, not held create manufacturing guidelines optional
- optional, not held develop manufacturing policies optional
- optional, not held provide technical documentation optional
- still to learn database quality standards required
- still to learn industrial software required
- still to learn internal auditing required
- optional, not held management systems standards optional
- optional, not held total quality control optional
- still to learn industrial design required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an industrial quality manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 database quality standards study this
- 02 follow standards for machinery safety practise this
- 03 identify preventive actions practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 20 skills that carry over
- already held analyse test data skill
- already held audit techniques knowledge
- already held check quality of products on the production line skill
- already held check quality of raw materials skill
- already held define manufacturing quality criteria skill
- already held identify process improvements skill
- already held industrial engineering knowledge
- already held oversee quality control skill
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held support implementation of quality management systems skill
- already held communicate test results to other departments skill
- already held define quality standards skill
- already held inspect quality of products skill
- already held lead inspections skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manufacturing processes knowledge
- already held perform pre-assembly quality checks skill
- already held perform project management skill
- already held record test data skill
- already held use measurement instruments skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn follow standards for machinery safety required
- still to learn inspect industrial equipment required
- still to learn correctional procedures required
- optional, not held attend to ICT systems quality optional
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assess supplier risks optional
- optional, not held attend to ICT systems quality optional
- optional, not held management systems standards optional
- optional, not held total quality control optional
- optional, not held advise on manufacturing problems optional
- optional, not held create manufacturing guidelines optional
- optional, not held develop manufacturing policies optional
- optional, not held inspect material optional
- optional, not held manage manufacturing documentation optional
- optional, not held provide technical documentation optional
17 held skills the industrial quality manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role communication knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with company regulations skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with legal requirements skill
- not needed by the target role lean manufacturing knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain test equipment skill
- not needed by the target role materials engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role non-destructive testing knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role quality assurance methodologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role quality assurance procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role recommend product improvements skill
- not needed by the target role report test findings skill
- not needed by the target role set quality assurance objectives skill
- not needed by the target role test procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
- not needed by the target role undertake inspections skill
- not needed by the target role write inspection reports skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn database quality standards required
- still to learn correctional procedures required
- still to learn industrial design required
- still to learn industrial software required
- still to learn internal auditing required
- optional, not held management systems standards optional
- optional, not held total quality control optional
Common questions about this move
Can a quality engineer become an industrial quality manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A quality engineer already covers 38% of what an industrial quality manager is expected to do: 20 skills carry over, 10 of which the industrial quality manager role treats as required.
What skills does a quality engineer need to become an industrial quality manager?
19 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is database quality standards.
How hard is the move from quality engineer to industrial quality manager?
Its learning distance is 67.9 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.