Here are a few basic concepts that should be helpful to anyone who is interested in pursuing a job as a QA manager: first, it is important to understand that there are different standards and expectations for "quality assurance" depending on whether the "product" is a material/manufactured item, a service, or a combination of goods and services. For any aspiring manager (QA or a regular "line" manager) it is important to have enough work experience and trade mastery in order to establish your technical credibility. In other words, you should be at least experienced enough (or have demonstrated skills) in order to perform all the tasks that you will be expected to manage. All jobs come down to having enough technical skills to demonstrate that you know what you are doing and at least basic people/communications skills in order to deal with different personalities and be able to communicate expectations and consequences (good or bad) to those you are managing.
For example, if the QA management position involves inspecting manufactured "widgets" then you should already be a qualified widget press operator, a widget assembler, a master widget finisher, and have some widget packaging experience. You would know each step of the widget manufacturing process and would be able to tell if a widget was properly stamped, assembled, and packaged. You would know the specifications well enough in order to identify what caused the defect: poor materials, craftsmanship, accidental damage or mechanical failure.
For the "service" industries, say selling vacation packages over the telephone, a successful QA manager would have experience as a leading sales representative, perhaps with personal experience in traveling to, or living in some of the destinations, and have an ability to survey/solicit feedback from recent customers to see how well their needs were met by the person who sold them the package. You would have worked as a sales team leader so you could "coach" callers in meeting customer’s needs and expectations. Hotels, restaurants, and other tourism related enterprises all seek out customer satisfaction data in order to streamline operating costs, minimize "dissatisfaction" and improve brand image and loyalty. Ideally, a service QA manager would also be able to work with such data to improve the services offered and lower costs.
For the aspiring QA manager it should also be understood that you are staying current with the latest trends in your particular industry. During a job interview, if you can demonstrate that you have recently published a relevant article in a trade journal or presented information at an industry event, that is a positive boost to establish your expertise. In the U.S. you can get involved in one of the state quality improvement programs or check out the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards program website.
