Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
What is a research and development director and how to become one
Innovation has to be your middle name if you're considering a career as a research and development director. The research and development director is in charge of overseeing all things to do with the innovative plans of the company. This innovation may be in the methodology of the production process or innovation of the product itself.
Your daily activities as the research and development director include conducting research in various parts of the company such that innovation in both the production process and the product is guaranteed. This research includes the analysis of target market behavior in order to derive trends for innovative purposes.
The position of research and development director is one that is coveted by many due to the difficulty in attaining it. You will require a degree in finance or marketing, coupled with knowledge of information technology in order to remain in the loop of technological advancements that may have an impact on your innovative plans.
Avg. Salary $137,944
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 2%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.16%
Asian 15.47%
Black or African American 2.97%
Hispanic or Latino 8.39%
Unknown 4.60%
White 68.41%
Genderfemale 20.81%
male 79.19%
Age - 48American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 48Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Research and development director career paths
Key steps to become a research and development director
Explore research and development director education requirements
Start to develop specific research and development director skills
Skills Percentages R 23.07% Product Development 7.48% Project Management 5.78% FDA 4.91% Oversight 4.39% Complete relevant research and development director training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New research and development directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a research and development director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real research and development director resumes.Research research and development director duties and responsibilities
- Lead company through the UL mark validation.
- Manage all UL, CSA, VDE and CUL safety agency approvals for new and existing products.
- Manage a team of 20 developers, database architects, QA and process managers in two divisions.
- Manage software application implementation for time reporting/project-costing system to aid in understanding project spending and improve portfolio prioritization and execution.
Get research and development director experience
Generally, it takes more than 10 years to become a research and development director. The most common roles before becoming a research and development director include senior scientist, research and development manager team lead and research assistant.Prepare your research and development director resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your research and development director resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a research and development director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable research and development director resume templates
Build a professional research and development director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your research and development director resume.
Apply for research and development director jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a research and development director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first research and development director job
Are you a research and development director?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average research and development director salary
The average research and development director salary in the United States is $137,944 per year or $66 per hour. Research and development director salaries range between $94,000 and $201,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do research and development directors rate their job?
Research and development director reviews
Drive innovation strategy; Lead New product design and scale-up efforts; Coach and mentor R&D personnel; Communicate across all functions; Create products that can impact people's life
Lack of transparency and communication; Lack of operational and administrative processes; Lack of accountability and leadership
Updated January 8, 2025
