What is a Research And Development Director?

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.

What Does a Research And Development Director Do

There are certain skills that many research and development directors have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed detail oriented, math skills and analytical skills.

Learn more about what a Research And Development Director does

How To Become a Research And Development Director

If you're interested in becoming a research and development director, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 61.8% of research and development directors have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 19.2% of research and development directors have master's degrees. Even though most research and development directors have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Research And Development Director
Top Research And Development Director Jobs Near You

Research And Development Director Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of vice president of research and development you might progress to a role such as vice president of research and development eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title vice president of research and development.

Research And Development Director

Top Careers Before Research And Development Director

Senior Scientist(49,712 Jobs)
11.1 %
Research And Development Manager(125,447 Jobs)
9.5 %
Research Assistant(51,080 Jobs)
7.1 %

Top Careers After Research And Development Director

Consultant(171,733 Jobs)
13.3 %
Director(230,711 Jobs)
8.8 %
Vice President Of Research And Development(120,333 Jobs)
8.2 %

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Average Salary for a Research And Development Director

Research And Development Directors in America make an average salary of $137,944 per year or $66 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $201,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $94,000 per year.
Average Research And Development Director Salary
$137,944 Yearly
$66.32 hourly
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Roles and Types of Research And Development Director

The role of a research and development director includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general research and development director responsibilities:

  • Duties will include but are not limited to: team development lead a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, engineers
  • Developing new relationships on behalf of university of virginia with federal agencies
  • Manage projects and conceive own projects. This is a hands on position that will manage other individuals. Manage quality control process. Ensure policies continue to be followed. Establish new policies to mitigate potential quality issues. Uses technical knowledge to formulate new products,

There are several types of research and development director, including:

Director

Role:

Directors report to board members regarding what's going on with the company as a whole. Then together, they work to develop new marketing and business strategies to help the company grow and expand.

Typically, directors have the ultimate, hands-down decision making capability, which is a lot of responsibility for one person, especially considering the type of decisions you'll be making. Any top-level decisions will come to you. You may also be responsible for approving a final budget and making sure company policies are being followed.

Some directors have long work hours, it depends on your employer and industry. Some directors will work longer than the typical 40-hour work week and many have erratic schedules that are determined by meetings, which are usually held after normal business hours.
  • Average Salary: $113,489
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Development Director

Role:

A development director is employed by companies, organizations, or corporations and is responsible for raising funds, usually for non-profit projects. Development directors come up with strategies for fundraising. Collaborating with the board of directors, they set fundraising goals, research foundations, and oversee fundraising activities. They write applications for grants and manage fiscal reports for received funds.

Apart from these duties, the primary role of a development director is networking. They build and maintain strong relationships with donors, plan and arrange fundraising events, oversee communication regarding the fundraising goals of the organization, and ensure an efficient social media presence, related to the fundraising objectives of the company.

Filling the position of development director requires experience in sales or other business development areas. Being driven enough to follow through with your vision is just as important as having excellent communications skills, and displaying representative leadership abilities will not only charm your potential patrons but will be useful when coordinating and motivating your staff as well.
  • Average Salary: $107,044
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Engineering Manager

Role:

An engineering manager leads a team of engineers and supervises their work, developing solutions to better technology. Collaborating with scientists and technicians, he/she or she will coordinate machine design, civil project plans, production, and quality control.

Engineering managers typically work on a project basis and are responsible for successful implementation. They create project budgets and make sure the work flows smoothlyl delegating tasks, hiring, and training employees for their team, if they see fit. They create progress reports on the work as well.

The work of engineers affects our lives in every possible area. From Ferris wheels to space shuttles, from interactive television to audiovisual special effects, comfy shoes, and waterslides, engineers were always behind the magic, supervised by an engineering manager.
  • Average Salary: $139,328
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
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States With The Most Research And Development Director Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active research and development director jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where research and development directors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Research And Development Director Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California5,559$156,514
2Florida3,094$113,486
3Pennsylvania2,355$128,200
4New York2,202$145,189
5Georgia1,988$120,807
6Texas1,916$116,663
7North Carolina1,809$106,134
8Ohio1,597$129,442
9Illinois1,462$116,410
10Michigan1,392$108,648
11Minnesota1,357$124,652
12Arizona1,307$130,779
13New Jersey1,085$144,955
14South Carolina1,062$111,951
15Indiana1,050$113,194
16Tennessee1,011$106,689
17Virginia988$147,558
18Alabama984$108,220
19Wisconsin982$112,911
20Missouri930$130,838
21Maryland907$112,117
22Colorado809$113,488
23Louisiana799$121,829
24Oklahoma795$99,546
25Massachusetts721$145,808
26Oregon663$130,015
27Mississippi500$116,706
28Kentucky499$101,364
29Iowa492$100,664
30West Virginia479$111,172
31Kansas476$105,807
32Arkansas457$106,574
33Connecticut401$148,747
34Nebraska400$105,837
35New Hampshire379$128,820
36Utah361$116,474
37New Mexico351$112,054
38South Dakota349$113,764
39Nevada300$148,576
40Washington290$140,024
41Maine272$127,301
42Montana232$123,541
43Rhode Island169$114,735
44Hawaii159$84,193
45North Dakota152$110,357
46Idaho148$126,047
47Alaska127$128,602
48Delaware126$120,156
49Vermont114$117,521
50Wyoming58$97,431

Research And Development Director Education

Research And Development Director Majors

Chemistry
14.2 %
Mechanical Engineering
11.3 %
Electrical Engineering
10.0 %

Research And Development Director Degrees

Bachelors

61.8 %

Masters

19.2 %

Doctorate

12.2 %

Top Colleges for Research And Development Directors

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Mechanical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Chemistry

2. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-State Tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Mechanical Engineering
Business
Electrical Engineering
Biology
Chemical Engineering

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Biology
Mechanical Engineering

4. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering

5. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology

6. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Mechanical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Business

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Communication
Psychology
Computer Science

9. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Mechanical Engineering
Computer Science
Electrical Engineering

10. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Electrical Engineering
Business
Mechanical Engineering
Computer Science
Biology

Top Skills For a Research And Development Director

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 23.1% of research and development directors listed r on their resume, but soft skills such as detail oriented and math skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Research And Development Director Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Research And Development Director templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Research And Development Director resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Research And Development Director Resume

Research And Development Director Demographics

Research And Development Director Gender Distribution

Male
Male
79%
Female
Female
21%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among research and development directors, 20.8% of them are women, while 79.2% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among research and development directors is White, which makes up 68.4% of all research and development directors.

  • The most common foreign language among research and development directors is Spanish at 28.4%.

Online Courses For Research And Development Director That You May Like

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1. Customer Insights: New Product Development Orientation

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This course is the first in the Customer Insights and New Product Development (CIPD) specialization. It will introduce learners to the tools and process of gathering customer insights for identifying and developing new product opportunities. Through an integrated set of five modules and hands-on project experiences, learners will acquire the knowledge and skills to turn their ideas gained from understanding customer needs into innovative new products...

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2. Drug Development Product Management

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Pharmaceutical and biotech companies are spending years and millions of dollars developing drugs or promising new biologics, all with the hopes of saving or enhancing patients’ lives. This specialization will provide you with a 30,000 feet view of the entire process of drug discovery and development. In the first course you will begin with learning how scientists go from selecting a drug discovery target to filing an Initial New Drug application. In the second course you will learn the...

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3. Productivity and Systems Development

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This course provides hands-on experience with technology-based productivity tools, as well as foundational knowledge and understanding of system design and development. The course is designed to integrate concepts of hardware, software, and the Internet. This course also provides an overview of data security, data privacy, and ways to increase productivity and efficiency. Students will also investigate technology career paths and some of the various certifications available in the industry...

See More on Coursera
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Best States For a Research And Development Director

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a research and development director. The best states for people in this position are California, Connecticut, Nevada, and Virginia. Research and development directors make the most in California with an average salary of $156,514. Whereas in Connecticut and Nevada, they would average $148,747 and $148,576, respectively. While research and development directors would only make an average of $147,558 in Virginia, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. California

Total Research And Development Director Jobs: 5,559
Highest 10% Earn:
$227,000
Location Quotient:
1.17

$156,514

Avg. Salary

View 5,559 Research And Development Director Jobs In CA

2. Arizona

Total Research And Development Director Jobs: 1,307
Highest 10% Earn:
$195,000
Location Quotient:
1.38

$130,779

Avg. Salary

View 1,307 Research And Development Director Jobs In AZ

3. Nevada

Total Research And Development Director Jobs: 300
Highest 10% Earn:
$217,000
Location Quotient:
0.89

$148,576

Avg. Salary

View 300 Research And Development Director Jobs In NV
Full List Of Best States For Research And Development Directors

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Top Research And Development Director Employers

Most Common Employers For Research And Development Director

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1VMware$170,535$81.9912
2BD$159,644$76.756
3Alcon$142,593$68.556
4PepsiCo$141,303$67.937
5P&G$138,771$66.729
6Teva Pharmaceuticals$137,667$66.197
7Molecular Templates$137,138$65.936
8Pfizer$136,155$65.467
9Hewlett Packard Enterprise$132,803$63.855
10KPMG LLP$132,096$63.518
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Updated February 6, 2023