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What does a research and development manager do?

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

A research and development manager is responsible for supervising project development procedures to support business operations and identify business opportunities that would pave the way for more revenue resources and profits. Research and development managers monitor the production plans from the conceptualization to the final outputs, inspecting inconsistencies and flaws in every phase and revising strategies as needed to achieve the required specifications and requirements. They delegate tasks to the staff, oversee progress, and conduct research and development programs to maximize productivity and team efforts.

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Research and development manager responsibilities

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

  • Manage commercial and clinical GMP manufacturing of intermediate material and bulk vaccine (drug substance).
  • Lead cross-functional team for VasoSeal (TM) vascular closure device, resulting in an IDE.
  • Manage all system relate tasks such as upgrades, user access review, and training new roadmap owners.
  • Manage development and implementation of automate system test framework covering server, client, API, DICOM, and HL7 feeds.
  • Manage implementation teams on new system installations and retrofit projects.
  • Direct and manage architecture and development of customer consumer portals via SOA.
  • Process are further refine and scaled-up at CMO cGMP facilities and used to manufacture bulk API.
  • Assure that the external CMO's and CRO's meet require cGMP and other quality requirements.
  • Administer technical presentations to entire customer portfolio; provide extensive technical support to sales and customer base.
  • Create sales materials and PowerPoint presentations for clients.
  • Work in accordance with GLP and GMP requirements, and ICH guidelines.
  • Co-Authore technology transfer, preclinical development, patents, and CMC sections.
  • Design Java base embedded printer module, and create key components for web interface.
  • Deploy pilot cloud and mobile programs to the end users and receive positive feedbacks.
  • Provide technical and strategic oversight of scientific research, development, and scale-up design.

Research and development manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 17% of Research And Development Managers are proficient in R, Customer Service, and Project Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Analytical skills, and Communication skills.

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

  • R, 17%

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

  • Customer Service, 10%

    Developed Senior Account Manager/Outside Customer Service Representative program that increased customer satisfaction and gave sales more time to develop new business.

  • Project Management, 8%

    Supervised and directed activities including personnel and project management on quality control, sales supported, and technical service.

  • Patients, 8%

    Employed as a laboratory technician performing routine laboratory assays and those specific for oncology patients, as requested.

  • Product Development, 5%

    Supervised International product development in Canada, Mexico, Latin America and Ireland to duplicate existing toppings in other countries.

  • C++, 4%

    Delivered C++ libraries to transfer algorithmic technology from research setting to commercial 3D medical visualization and pattern classification applications.

Most research and development managers use their skills in "r," "customer service," and "project management" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential research and development manager responsibilities here:

Analytical skills. Many research and development manager duties rely on analytical skills. "architectural and engineering managers evaluate information to solve problems.," so a research and development manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways research and development manager responsibilities rely on analytical skills: "conducted an assessment of laboratory analytical data to respond to recent fda warning letter. "

Communication skills. This is an important skill for research and development managers to perform their duties. For an example of how research and development manager responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "architectural and engineering managers must effectively convey information and expectations related to projects." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a research and development manager: "promoted tools in java developer community by initiating customer demos in major tradeshows and hp developer communication channels. ".

Organizational skills. For certain research and development manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "organizational skills." The day-to-day duties of a research and development manager rely on this skill, as "architectural and engineering managers keep track of many workers, schedules, and budgets simultaneously." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what research and development managers do: "lead a cross-organizational team to perform cost/benefit analysis for achieving iso 9003 certification. "

Math skills. Another skill commonly found on research and development manager job descriptions is "math skills." It can come up quite often in research and development manager duties, since "architectural and engineering managers use calculus and other mathematics to develop new products and processes." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day research and development manager responsibilities: "produced quantitative methodologies and models to accurately assess national security, economic, and public policy issues. "

All research and development manager skills

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Compare different research and development managers

Research and development manager 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.

We looked at the average research and development manager salary and compared it with the wages of an engineering supervisor. Generally speaking, engineering supervisors are paid $19,972 lower than research and development managers per year.Even though research and development managers and engineering supervisors are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require r, customer service, and project management in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between research and development managers and engineering supervisor. For instance, research and development manager responsibilities require skills such as "patients," "c++," "c #," and "visualization." Whereas a engineering supervisor is skilled in "hvac," "plumbing," "preventive maintenance," and "continuous improvement." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Engineering supervisors tend to make the most money working in the automotive industry, where they earn an average salary of $114,222. In contrast, research and development managers make the biggest average salary, $143,083, in the professional industry.engineering supervisors tend to reach lower levels of education than research and development managers. In fact, engineering supervisors are 7.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.5% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Research and development manager 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.

On average, engineering operations managers earn a $5,175 higher salary than research and development managers a year.A few skills overlap for research and development managers and engineering operations managers. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "r," "project management," and "product development. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real research and development manager resumes. While research and development manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "customer service," "patients," "c++," and "c #," engineering operations managers use skills like "engineering operations," "hvac," "plumbing," and "employee development."

Engineering operations managers earn a higher average salary than research and development managers. But engineering operations managers earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $123,284. Additionally, research and development managers earn the highest salaries in the professional with average pay of $143,083 annually.In general, engineering operations managers achieve similar levels of education than research and development managers. They're 4.8% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 6.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Research and development manager vs. Senior engineering manager

Senior engineering managers are the leaders who oversee and supervise a team of engineers. These executives are the ones who develop, modify, create, and test solutions to technical-related problems. They direct and coordinate the production, quality assurance, maintenance, operations, or testing in industrial plants. It is part of their job to handle the research and development of new procedures and products. They are also involved in improving the advance scientific research and manufacturing processes of the company.

On average, senior engineering managers earn higher salaries than research and development managers, with a $38,246 difference per year.By looking over several research and development managers and senior engineering managers resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "r," "project management," and "product development." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from research and development manager resumes include skills like "customer service," "patients," "c #," and "rd," whereas a senior engineering manager is more likely to list skills in "architecture," "cloud," "infrastructure," and "software development. "

Senior engineering managers earn the best pay in the telecommunication industry, where they command an average salary of $160,722. Research and development managers earn the highest pay from the professional industry, with an average salary of $143,083.Most senior engineering managers achieve a similar degree level compared to research and development managers. For example, they're 3.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 4.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Research and development manager vs. Engineering director

An engineering director or director of engineering is an individual who manages a team of engineering managers and coordinates all the engineering activities within the organization. Engineering directors work closely with the organization's executives to develop new strategies to reduce unnecessary costs and time to complete their projects. They must understand and interpret complex sets of data such as profits, losses, or value of liabilities to identify problems and come up with solutions. Engineering directors must also ensure that safety protocols are implemented in the workforce.

Engineering directors average a higher salary than the annual salary of research and development managers. The difference is about $44,745 per year.While their salaries may vary, research and development managers and engineering directors both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "r," "customer service," and "project management. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "patients," "visualization," "client facing," and "rd" are skills that commonly show up on research and development manager resumes. On the other hand, engineering directors use skills like architecture, infrastructure, aws, and software development on their resumes.engineering directors enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $164,120. For comparison, research and development managers earn the highest salary in the professional industry.engineering directors reach similar levels of education compared to research and development managers, in general. The difference is that they're 0.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 4.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of research and development manager

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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