Home Quality Engineer Salary
Quality Engineer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a quality engineer is $79,000 per annum, before tax, up $16,300 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay varies with the sector you work in and the agreement covering your site, since larger manufacturers often set it through an enterprise agreement with shift and overtime loadings built in.
- Holding a lead auditor qualification, or looking after a site's quality management system, gives you more to negotiate with.
- Roles in heavily regulated manufacturing, such as food and pharmaceuticals, carry more documentation and compliance responsibility, and that is usually reflected in the offer.
The median salary rose by $16,300 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than quality engineer
The largest typical pay rise is $68,900 a year, moving into Quality Manager.
- Quality Manager+$68,900/yr
- Materials Engineer+$30,200/yr
- Production Engineer+$29,200/yr
How to negotiate a higher quality engineer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time quality engineer salary is $79,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Data analysis and Process improvement tend to command a premium over general quality engineer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Quality Manager pays a typical $68,900 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Quality Engineer salary questions
How much do quality engineers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a quality engineer is $79,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is quality engineer pay rising or falling?
The median quality engineer salary is up $16,300 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than quality engineer?
Quality Manager pays a typical $68,900 a year more and draws on similar skills to quality engineer.
Related salaries
- Quality Manager salary
- Production Engineer salary
- Materials Engineer salary
- Operations Analyst salary
- Metallurgist salary
- Quality Inspector salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.