Career, salary: an in-depth look at the QSE role

At AFNOR, we love QSE functions. Quality (Q), safety (S), and environment (E): these three topics are at the heart of major voluntary international standards (ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 ). But who exactly are the people working in this field? What do they do, where do they come from, and how much do they earn? A study conducted by Time to Be for AFNOR Compétences et Parcours Croisés paints a picture based on 1,462 questionnaires. You can obtain the full report by listening again to the presentation webinar of September 18, 2025 .

Firstly, the role appears to be becoming more feminized: women account for 63% of QSE managers, compared with 54% in 2018. Contrary to certain preconceptions, this is therefore a fairly feminized profession, but one that becomes less so as one climbs the managerial ladder (see below). Our study concludes that the profession is becoming more female-dominated, but also older: the average age is 42, compared to 39 in 2018. There are more seniors than juniors: 22% are over 50 and 13% are under 30, a much more pronounced imbalance than seven years ago.

The men and women in this field are all graduates, mostly from QSE programs at the university level leading to a master's degree.  The QSE degree seems to structure more specialized career paths, focused on core business functions, regulatory standards, and professional development, comments Anne-Laure Mauduit-Devillers, a consultant specializing in the field and a partner of AFNOR Parcours Croisés for this study. Once in post, QSE managers tend to stay there, and for increasingly longer periods: they have nearly twelve years' seniority on average, compared with nine and a half years in 2018. This experience is gained in three organizations on average (2.9 to be precise). As this mobility figure was two seven years ago, this can be seen as an effect of the relative aging of this population.

What types of organizations do QSE professionals work for? The answer is clear: 91% work for private companies, while 6% work in the public sector. One in three private sector jobs are in manufacturing. The second most common sector is the broad services sector (13%). Half of these companies are SMEs with 10 to 249 employees. Next come medium-sized companies (250 to 4,999 employees), large groups (more than 5,000) and very small businesses (fewer than 10). Most of these professionals are based at the head office rather than at a site or subsidiary.

The study also shows that the QSE function is well established within companies: 94% of professionals are on permanent contracts, with 58% holding the title of "manager." Next come the titles of "engineer," "coordinator," and "director" (both male and female, of course). Executive status is dominant: 69%. One in three sits on the executive committee: 30% to be exact. With what scope? "QSE" at 41%, "quality" alone at 28%, "HSE" at 6%, with the H standing for "hygiene." 

The combined QSE function is experiencing significant growth, with professionals taking on more responsibilities and expanding the scope of their missions, comments Anne-Laure Mauduit-Devillers, noting that instead of 41% of QSE in 2025, they were 33% in 2018. Subtlety: the scope of practice does not necessarily coincide with the department to which they belong, since while 41% work in a so-called QSE scope, dealing with quality, safety, and environmental issues, 57% do so from a position in the organizational chart that actually bears the title QSE. 

This department or service is called "quality" in 20% of cases, "CSR" in 19% of cases, and is simply the general management in 14% of cases. This service most often has one (29% of cases) or two to three (also 29% of cases) employees. Obviously, the larger the company, the larger the QSE workforce: 93 employees working on QSE issues in large groups!

When we talk about service and ad hoc teams, we are talking about management. In this regard, 45% of professionals say they are managers. Gender inequality comes into full play here: men are more likely to be managers (53% compared to 42% of women), even though they do not represent the majority of respondents, as we saw at the outset. In terms of budgeting, one in three professionals manages a budget, and for nearly two-thirds of them, the amount managed is less than €100,000. 

In terms of assignments, the international aspect is not dominant (only 30% cite this dimension); it is audit assignments that stand out overwhelmingly: 80% of professionals have, or at least are involved in, both internal and supplier audits. Logically, the standards they are required to audit are QSE standards: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001. ISO 26000 and ISO 50001 standards lag far behind, cited by 8% and 7% respectively.

The QSE professional audience is a group that is well catered for by AFNOR Compétences, a subsidiary of the AFNOR group, which offers a wide range of training courses. both on QSE standards , the different dimensions quality , that on audit methodologies The study includes a section on skills, grouped into six main categories:

• governance and strategy
• management and indicators
• agility and innovation
• communication and teaching
• team leadership and management
• systemic and collaborative vision.

The 18 skills studied show that the priorities are: integrating the QSE manager into governance, embodying cross-functional leadership, steering change, mobilizing collective intelligence, and knowing how to communicate. This represents a cultural shift: the QSE manager is becoming a strategic player in overall performance, going beyond mere compliance and technical expertise, comments Anne-Laure Mauduit-Devillers, who also notes a stronger link between the QSE function and CSR.

Link with CSR, overall performance... The skills study confirms the analysis made of the rise of the QSE title above, namely that the duties of the QSE manager have been expanded. Two-thirds agree with this idea of an expansion of responsibilities. However, despite this, recognition is not always forthcoming. Fifty-six percent of professionals in this role feel that they are paid less or much less than their peers, comments Anne-Laure Mauduit-Devillers. Even though this rate has fallen significantly since 2018, when it stood at 74%, there is still a gap between actual contribution and recognition. And not just in terms of salary: involvement in decision-making and strategic visibility are also sources of frustration.

Salary: what is it? The fixed salary averages €47,400 gross per year, including any 13th and 14th month bonuses, and the variable salary averages €4,600. In seven years, the fixed salary has increased by €6,400. This is an average, with the most commonly cited fixed salary range being €50,000 to €59,000, depending on the size of the company. Obviously, this remuneration varies depending on whether the person holds the title of director, project manager, consultant, or other. The title of director stands out with an average fixed salary of €77,900, which is €11,700 more than in 2018.

Let's conclude with this observation, which inspires relative enthusiasm: QSE professionals tend to be quite fulfilled in their work. The average job satisfaction score is 7 out of 10 (compared to 6.4 in 2018), with the top four criteria for satisfaction being job interest, work atmosphere, work-life balance, and relationships with managers. We have added the adjective "relative" to the word "enthusiasm" because we have observed a slight cause for concern regarding internal career prospects, a criterion that scores only 5 out of 10. However, 47% of professionals see themselves in a different job in three years' time, ideally at a higher level (26%). This generates a slight frustration that is reflected in the responses to the question about feared situations: one in two professionals say they fear remaining at their current salary. This response is cited first by a quarter of the sample. The quest for hierarchical advancement, the quest for meaning, work-life balance, retraining... Underlying this is a profession that is still seeking recognition and projection, concludes Anne-Laure Mauduit-Devillers.