How to hire a manager, product research and development

How to hire a manager, product research and development, step by step

Here's a step-by-step manager, product research and development hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a manager, product research and development job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new manager, product research and development
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your manager, product research and development job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a manager, product research and development for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A manager, product research and development's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, managers, product research and development from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of managers, product research and development.

   Type of Manager, Product Research And Development	Description	Hourly rate
   Manager, Product Research And Development	Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.	$36-73
   Web Manager	Web Managers are responsible for managing websites for organizations. Their duties include managing website upgrades, testing for website performance, implement a strategy to increase web traffic and subscribers, troubleshooting website issues, and responding to security breaches... Show more	$25-60
   Development & Program Manager	The responsibilities of a development and program manager depend on one's place or industry of employment. Typically, they are in charge of overseeing the operations behind various projects and programs, ensuring everything is running smoothly and efficiently... Show more	$36-65

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • R
   • Product Development
   • Market Research
   • Manage Cross
   • Product Quality
   • Product Management
   • Product Design
   • Development Projects
   • QA
   • Direct Reports
   • D Product
   • Cost Savings
   • Prototyping
   • Sigma

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Document on site QA reviews as well as in country reviews to achieve end product adherence to translation requirements.
   • Manage production planning to ensure medical combination product portfolio on-time delivery to European pharmaceutical clients
   • Develop ISO compliant national labor claim and quality processes and controls.
   • Work closely with QA on the resolution of software defects, taking in account risk management and change management.
   • Participate in the preparation and presentation of external communications for investors, clinical investigators, FDA and scientific community.
   • Develop innovative business proposal and technology roadmap to consolidate international product lines and establish a product platform for future growth.

   More manager, product research and development duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the manager, product research and development job description is a good way to get more applicants. A manager, product research and development salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a manager, product research and development in Kentucky may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level manager, product research and development. Additionally, a manager, product research and development with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average manager, product research and development salary

   $107,581yearly

   $51.72 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level manager, product research and development salary

   $75,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average manager, product research and development salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$132,289	$64
   2	New York	$118,571	$57
   3	Nevada	$112,472	$54
   4	Rhode Island	$110,695	$53
   5	Arizona	$109,345	$53
   6	Delaware	$104,508	$50
   7	Illinois	$102,379	$49
   8	Alaska	$101,866	$49
   9	Connecticut	$100,331	$48
   10	Massachusetts	$99,786	$48
   11	Pennsylvania	$99,171	$48
   12	Maryland	$96,247	$46
   13	West Virginia	$95,715	$46
   14	Indiana	$95,270	$46
   15	Minnesota	$94,920	$46
   16	North Dakota	$92,880	$45
   17	Texas	$92,262	$44
   18	Wisconsin	$91,693	$44
   19	Mississippi	$91,500	$44
   20	Iowa	$90,772	$44

   Average manager, product research and development salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	ByteDance	$161,576	$77.68	8
   2	Gillette	$131,981	$63.45
   3	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$125,336	$60.26	23
   4	CDW	$124,842	$60.02	14
   5	Riot Games	$123,257	$59.26	5
   6	The Coca-Cola Company	$115,787	$55.67	16
   7	P&G	$114,502	$55.05	38
   8	PepsiCo	$114,150	$54.88	6
   9	Crane Co.	$113,022	$54.34	3
   10	Blommer Chocolate	$105,190	$50.57
   11	PCA SKIN	$102,967	$49.50
   12	DFS Corporate Services LLC	$100,151	$48.15
   13	U.S. Bank	$95,860	$46.09	129
   14	TE Connectivity Networks�Inc	$95,503	$45.91	140
   15	Supportworks	$94,493	$45.43
   16	Henkel	$93,952	$45.17	65
   17	Mitel	$92,332	$44.39
   18	Ferrero	$90,205	$43.37	7
   19	GenScript	$82,390	$39.61	3
   20	WeWork	$81,426	$39.15

4. Writing a manager, product research and development job description

   A manager, product research and development job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a manager, product research and development job description:

   Manager, product research and development job description example

   Manager, Pet R&D Product Development (Pet Snacks) ORRVILLE, OH
   
   Your Opportunity
   In this role, you will have responsibility for managing product development, as well as managing a team of direct reports including scientists, technologists, and a technician. Project scopes will include innovation (from study request to launch), brand maintenance/renovation, value engineering, and business support. You will interface with all functions within Pet R&D, as well as cross-functional peers including Innovation, Operations, Insights, Brand Marketing, Procurement, Co-Manufacturing, and Quality. You will be expected to provide formulation, processing, and other technical guidance. Currently, you would have responsibility for a portfolio of dog snack brands which include Rachael Ray Nutrish, Pup-Peroni, Canine Carry-outs, and others. This area of responsibility will very likely evolve over time because we encourage employees to gain experience across various areas of our portfolio of brands and product formats.
   
   Primary responsibilities:
   Coach and develop a team of direct reports to have both the technical capabilities to drive business results, and the resonant leadership to drive engagement and growth. Manage R&D resource allocation.Proactively engage with cross-functional partners, develop new products, optimize current products, connect consumer understanding to product and process specifications, and execute technical readiness with excellence.Lead and collaborate with cross-functional team members in various departments including Marketing, Finance, Operations, Quality and Food Safety, Procurement, Co-Manufacturing, Insights, Regulatory, Legal, etc.Deliver projects successfully with the agreed upon success criteria including consumer acceptance, cost/margin, technical feasibility, and commercial feasibility while managing timelines and budget.Manage the planning & execution of experiments by the technical team from benchtop through scale-up. Accountabilities include but not limited to - sourcing raw materials, creating learning plans, prototype development & refinement, data analysis and interpretation.Identify & establish success criteria for projects including consumer acceptance, pet acceptance, food safety, quality & regulatory metrics.Collaborate with peers to lead strategic development and continuous improvement of R&D capabilities and systems.
   
   Knowledge and abilities:
   Demonstrate strong business & technical acumen to appropriately scope the technical development for projects Familiarity with theories, practices and procedures used in Feed/Pet Food Ingredients, Formulation and Product DevelopmentPrevious exposure to Feed Formulation Systems (ex: Concept 5, Format), practical understanding of statistics and application within Statistical Analysis packages (ex: JMP, Minitab) Ability to work with project/resource management systems including Stage-gate/Accolade. Familiarity with PLM/Prodika for specifications development.Creative thinking as applied to solving problems Able to identify areas of opportunity for new material technology application, material optimization and/or consolidation. Ability to communicate (written and oral) complex messages clearly and in a manner that is appropriate to the specific audience.
   
   Is this the Role for You?
   Are you a passionate leader motivated by the opportunity to drive meaningful change? Are you excited for the chance to work with a productive team and support their continued growth and development? Do you share in our dedication to continuous improvement and growth? If so, you are the type of professional we want to add to our Company!
   What we are looking for:
   Required:
   Bachelor's degree or higher in Science or EngineeringMinimum 7 years combined experience in R&D, QA, TSO, or Engineering roles Minimum 4 years CPG experience Proven people management and team building experience Experience partnering internally and externally with strong collaboration.Experience effectively communicating, verbally and in writing, complex ideas to a variety of stakeholders within and outside the company Experience in delivering in a changing and fast-paced environment, managing multiple projects simultaneously Skilled in leadership, documentation, collaboration, driving process change Ability to see the big picture view Ability to influence, enroll, and hold others accountable who are not in reporting relationships Understanding of manufacturing standards, plant operations, supply chain and R&DProficient relationship builder & communicator-verbal, presentations, written Comfortable working with a wide range of styles and personalities Ability to travel up to 25% of the work schedule is required
   Desired:
   10+ years of R&D, TSO or Engineering experience5+ years of experience in Human / Pet Food industry
   
   Why Smucker is the Place for You
   You deserve a positive and encouraging work environment. One that allows you to deliver your best work and become your best professional self. That is exactly what you will find at Smucker.
   Inspired by our unique culture, we are determined to support every employee holistically by meeting their physical, emotional and financial needs through:
   Our Total Reward benefits program - includes competitive health and financial benefits that reflect your needs at different life stages, and a continued commitment to empower flexible work schedules and remote work opportunities to help you thrive. Continuous opportunities to learn, grow and develop - beyond functional job-based education, we promote well-rounded development and encourage a spirit of continuous learning as part of our commitment to help you realize your professional goals.Our continued progress on the journey to become the inclusive and diverse organization we expect to be supporting equity across our communities. We firmly believe that an inclusive environment and diverse organization strengthens our Company and enables every employee to reach their full potential.
   Learn More About Working at Smucker
   Our Total Rewards Benefits ProgramOur Thriving Together Philosophy Supporting All Impacted by Our BusinessOur Continued Progress on Inclusion, Diversity and Equity
   Follow us on LinkedIn
   #LI-MR1
   #INDSA

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find managers, product research and development for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any managers, product research and development they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level managers, product research and development with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   To find manager, product research and development candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit managers, product research and development, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new manager, product research and development

   Once you've found the manager, product research and development candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new manager, product research and development. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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