Program research specialist vs research director

The differences between program research specialists and research directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a program research specialist and a research director. Additionally, a research director has an average salary of $108,875, which is higher than the $60,904 average annual salary of a program research specialist.

The top three skills for a program research specialist include data analysis, data collection and mathematics. The most important skills for a research director are research projects, data collection, and healthcare.

Program research specialist vs research director overview

	Program Research Specialist	Research Director
Yearly salary	$60,904	$108,875
Hourly rate	$29.28	$52.34
Growth rate	19%	19%
Number of jobs	115,466	51,298
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	6	6

What does a program research specialist do?

Program research specialists are professionals who are responsible for performing duties related to the business research program of an organization. These specialists must manage several major marketing research projects that aim to assess CRM solutions, marketing automation, and customer service processes. They must collect qualitative data and perform data analysis to create internal reports and provide recommendations to clients to improve services. Program research specialists must also use various software packages that can summarize and interpret statistical results.

What does a research director do?

Research Directors oversee the research initiatives of the company. They are usually deployed in the academe, research facilities, or companies with research and development departments. They set research goals aligned with the company's vision. They also ensure that all research activities are significant and would have an impact. They usually aim to complete research work that would contribute to the advancement of their field. Research Directors provide strategic direction on how to complete their research goals. They guide their team of researchers to work more efficiently and more productively. They also lead the team in networking activities.

Program research specialist vs research director salary

Program research specialists and research directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Program Research Specialist	Research Director
Average salary	$60,904	$108,875
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $90,000	Between $68,000 And $171,000
Highest paying City	Sacramento, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Delaware	Washington
Best paying company	SAP	Meta
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between program research specialist and research director education

There are a few differences between a program research specialist and a research director in terms of educational background:

	Program Research Specialist	Research Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Biology	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Georgia

Program research specialist vs research director demographics

Here are the differences between program research specialists' and research directors' demographics:

	Program Research Specialist	Research Director
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%	Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.2% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 12.5% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between program research specialist and research director duties and responsibilities

Program research specialist example responsibilities.

Manage study documentation throughout study life cycle including IRB annual renewals, modifications, patient study charts and regulatory binder.
Used SAS to review further information for merging projects.
Time code numerous videos for postdoctoral research on developmental behavior and violence -convert subject data into statistical input using IBM SPSS.
Evaluate antibodies by sandwich ELISA to determine their ability to capture or detect proteins.
Modify ELISA and western-blotting protocols to investigate biotin-labele protein-DNA complexes.
Participate in and run biofeedback experiments in the field of psychophysiology.

Research director example responsibilities.

Evaluate primary data using SPSS software, implement research plans and successfully manage the budget for the project.
Manage social media initiatives including Facebook and LinkedIn.
Manage Nielsen relationship to ensure successful measurement of the Seattle-Tacoma DMA.
Lead customer and competitor research, functional acquisition due diligence, and portfolio management of existing products/services and new investments.
Utilize Nielsen and Scarborough data to produce PowerPoint presentations and one-sheets, that convey the advantages of advertising on UPN24.
Conduct clinical research on skin cancer patients using electronic health record and total body photography imaging data.

Program research specialist vs research director skills

Common program research specialist skills

Data Analysis, 14%
Data Collection, 10%
Mathematics, 10%
Public Health, 7%
Research Program, 6%
Research Studies, 5%

Common research director skills

Research Projects, 8%
Data Collection, 6%
Healthcare, 6%
Market Research, 5%
Data Analysis, 5%
Patients, 4%

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Program Research Specialist
Program Research Specialist vs Research Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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