Also called: Crime Lab Quality Assurance Manager, Forensic Accreditation Manager
Makes sure a crime lab's results can be trusted, running audits, error investigations and accreditation so evidence holds up in court.
Quality managers write the lab's procedures, check that analysts pass proficiency tests, and investigate when a result looks wrong. They prepare for outside accreditation audits and report problems to prosecutors and defense lawyers when needed. After past crime lab scandals, this job is a big part of how labs earn trust.
Crime lab pay. Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 8 years after high school. Bachelor's in a forensic science, plus years as an analyst and quality training.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Forensic Science, Chemistry, Biology.
Growing much faster than average (about 13% over 10 years). BLS forensic science technicians, 2024-34.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Software tracks training and audits; investigating errors and judging fixes stays human.
Classes: Chemistry, Statistics, English composition.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-9121.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.