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What does a research and development director do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a research and development director do

A research and development director spearheads and oversees the research and development initiatives and projects in a company. It is their duty to set goals and guidelines, establish timelines and budgets, direct and manage different departments, liaise with internal and external parties, gather and analyze data to implement solutions against problem areas, and utilize expertise in developing strategies to optimize company operations. Moreover, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while promoting the company's policies and regulations, creating new ones as needed.

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Research and development director responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real research and development director resumes:

  • 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.
  • Prepare ISO documents and procedures to obtain ISO-9001 certification.
  • Prepare documentation for technical files require for ISO 13485 and CE marking.
  • Deliver training to the production and lab teams in the areas of compounding and QC processes.
  • Monitor fabric testing, initiate fabric wear tests, and partner with QC to resolve quality issues.
  • Develop a software (using Java), which can automatically query and interpret configuration of Cisco routers.
  • Prepare grant submissions to NIH and FDA winning $350k in grant support for development of a veterinary drug.
  • Interface with regulatory personnel for FDA submissions.
  • Contribute to pilot scale-up GMP manufacturing workforce training program.
  • Process enhance requirements engineering, code-review and proper QA techniques.
  • Coordinate GMP activities of reagent production and instrument manufacturing partner.
  • Base on target functionality, select Java as desired technology.

Research and development director skills and personality traits

We calculated that 23% of Research And Development Directors are proficient in R, Product Development, and Project Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Math skills, and Analytical skills.

We break down the percentage of Research And Development Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • R, 23%

    Develop and streamline R code for data evaluation and statistical analyses performed on data collected from experiments and from outside sources.

  • Product Development, 7%

    Job duties included overall responsibility for new product development, product performance and compliance to all regulatory requirements for medical devices.

  • Project Management, 6%

    Authored best practices literature for requirements gathering, collaborative project management, change management, and coding standards.

  • FDA, 5%

    Interfaced with regulatory personnel for FDA submissions.

  • Oversight, 4%

    Succeeded in integrating diverse skills for the implementation of effective marketing, management and oversight of businesses.

  • Business Development, 4%

    Participated in worldwide business development activities including technical sales and marketing and in presentations at scientific meetings and trade shows.

"r," "product development," and "project management" are among the most common skills that research and development directors use at work. You can find even more research and development director responsibilities below, including:

Math skills. Another essential skill to perform research and development director duties is math skills. Research and development directors responsibilities require that "architectural and engineering managers use calculus and other mathematics to develop new products and processes." Research and development directors also use math skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "identified, developed and managed research projects in quantitative interpretation. "

Analytical skills. This is an important skill for research and development directors to perform their duties. For an example of how research and development director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "architectural and engineering managers evaluate information to solve problems." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a research and development director: "involved and analyzed specifications for fda approval, and corrective actions. ".

Communication skills. A big part of what research and development directors do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to research and development director responsibilities because "architectural and engineering managers must effectively convey information and expectations related to projects." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical research and development director tasks: "contributed in nda preparation and procedures; participated and contributed into communications with fda and emea. "

Organizational skills. A commonly-found skill in research and development director job descriptions, "organizational skills" is essential to what research and development directors do. Research and development director responsibilities rely on this skill because "architectural and engineering managers keep track of many workers, schedules, and budgets simultaneously." You can also see how research and development director duties rely on organizational skills in this resume example: "established a flow of innovation activities into the product development roadmap to assure new product development is an organizational competitive advantage. "

See the full list of research and development director skills

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Research And Development Director Resume

Compare different research and development directors

Research and development director vs. Engineering operations manager

Engineering Operations Managers are responsible for managing mechanical or electrical repair and maintenance activities. Their duties include supervising the facility's daily operations, directing engineers, contractors, and subcontractors in executing a project, forecasting maintenance, and operation costs, preparing an annual budget, and leading strategic sourcing initiatives. Other duties include training staff, working with the human resource team to plan development initiatives, and processing payment applications, orders, invoices, and change requests. An Engineering Operations Manager also conducts procedures for contract bidding of maintenance activities. They are essential in facilitating communication between teams in engineering and operations.

The annual salary of engineering operations managers is $15,262 lower than the average salary of research and development directors.Even though research and development directors and engineering operations managers are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require r, product development, and project management in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, research and development director responsibilities require skills like "oversight," "strategic direction," "due diligence," and "intellectual property." Meanwhile a typical engineering operations manager has skills in areas such as "engineering operations," "hvac," "plumbing," and "employee development." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Engineering operations managers really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $123,284. Comparatively, research and development directors tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $167,250.The education levels that engineering operations managers earn slightly differ from research and development directors. In particular, engineering operations managers are 5.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a research and development director. Additionally, they're 11.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Research and development director vs. Engineering program manager

As an engineering program manager in the world of technology, it is their main responsibility to lead the development of important modules of new technology such as display, camera, touch ID, etc. It is their job to ensure that modules are correctly built according to specifications and given timeline. They drive day-to-day engineering related activities at the vendor's factory to meet overall program ideas. They are knowledgeable of the hardware process development and other features like display or camera design.

On average, engineering program managers earn a $15,340 lower salary than research and development directors a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Research and development directors and engineering program managers both require similar skills like "r," "product development," and "project management" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, research and development director responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "fda," "oversight," "strategic direction," and "due diligence." Meanwhile, an engineering program manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "program management," "team coordination," "scrum," and "risk management." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Engineering program managers may earn a lower salary than research and development directors, but engineering program managers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $127,984. On the other hand, research and development directors receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $167,250.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Engineering program managers tend to reach similar levels of education than research and development directors. In fact, they're 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 11.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Research and development director vs. Engineering supervisor

An engineering supervisor is responsible for monitoring the engineering operations of an organization, developing strategic processes and techniques to improve staff's performance, and facilitating training and programs to maximize productivity. Engineering supervisors evaluate technology procedures and reports to identify and design new opportunities that would generate more resources for revenues and profits. They also meet with clients and handle their business requirements and specifications, informing them of other services that the company offers. An engineering supervisor resolves project complaints and implements business plans to achieve high-quality deliverables.

On average scale, engineering supervisors bring in lower salaries than research and development directors. In fact, they earn a $40,409 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on research and development directors and engineering supervisors resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "r," "product development," and "project management.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, research and development directors are more likely to have skills like "fda," "oversight," "business development," and "strategic direction." But a engineering supervisor is more likely to have skills like "hvac," "plumbing," "preventive maintenance," and "customer service."

Engineering supervisors make a very good living in the automotive industry with an average annual salary of $114,222. On the other hand, research and development directors are paid the highest salary in the finance industry, with average annual pay of $167,250.engineering supervisors typically earn lower educational levels compared to research and development directors. Specifically, they're 7.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 11.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Research and development director vs. Manufacturing engineering manager

Manufacturing engineering managers manage manufacturing process development and enforcement. The managers maintain the proper functionality of a product and the efficiency of cost. They ensure the cohesive work between manufacturing departments and the engineering team. Their main responsibility is to design and operate integrated systems for economically competitive and high-quality products. They need to have skills in teamwork, technical knowledge, information technology, and commercial awareness. It is also necessary for them to have strong leadership skills.

Manufacturing engineering managers tend to earn a lower pay than research and development directors by an average of $25,409 per year.According to resumes from research and development directors and manufacturing engineering managers, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "r," "product development," and "project management. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A research and development director uses "oversight," "strategic direction," "due diligence," and "intellectual property." Manufacturing engineering managers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "continuous improvement," "lean manufacturing," "sigma," and "lean six sigma. "The automotive industry tends to pay the highest salaries for manufacturing engineering managers, with average annual pay of $135,554. Comparatively, the highest research and development director annual salary comes from the finance industry.manufacturing engineering managers reach similar levels of education compared to research and development directors, in general. The difference is that they're 4.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 12.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of research and development director

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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