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What does a research and development program manager do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read

Research and development program managers are responsible for research, planning, and implementing new programs and protocols into their company or organization and overseeing the development of new products. Their duties and responsibilities also include assessing the scope of the project and ensuring the project is going according to budget. They also develop and implement research and development procedures and techniques.

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Research and development program manager responsibilities

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

  • Manage integration of acquire medical devices through FDA remediation and manufacturing transfer overseas.
  • Manage electronics, software and mechanical engineers responsible for the development of the electromechanical system and disposable treatment catheters.
  • Prepare guidance documents for products meeting FDA, IEC, CSA, ISO regulatory requirements.
  • Establish clear project scope and prioritization for the company's development project portfolio.
  • Develop innovative business proposal and technology roadmap to consolidate international product lines and establish a product platform for future growth.
  • Eliminate costs associate with replicate graphics resources by developing and evangelizing a platform independent API for use by all departments.

Research and development program manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 17% of Research And Development Program Managers are proficient in R, Project Management, and Program 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 Program Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • R, 17%

    Helped win the company's largest R &D Federal contract at DHS (CanScan - Domestic Nuclear Detection Office).

  • Project Management, 13%

    Project Management Developed and implemented strategies to manage increasing volume of tests and streamlined progress tracking.

  • Program Management, 9%

    Provide program management services for research and development candidate programs.

  • Portfolio, 6%

    Developed a new material substrate platform which has technical and financial impact beyond my product portfolio responsibilities.

  • Product Development, 6%

    Reduced product development cycles from 9 to 5 months by implementing standardized development methodology, mentoring and coaching manufacturing team members.

  • FDA, 4%

    Lead development of Class ll medical devices in accordance with FDA and QSR requirements.

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

Math skills. Another essential skill to perform research and development program manager duties is math skills. Research and development program managers responsibilities require that "architectural and engineering managers use calculus and other mathematics to develop new products and processes." Research and development program managers also use math skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "ensured management met budget and professional development objectives by communicating monthly statistics and measurements regarding education spending and skill development. "

Analytical skills. research and development program managers are also known for analytical skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to research and development program manager responsibilities, because "architectural and engineering managers evaluate information to solve problems." A research and development program manager resume example shows how analytical skills is used in the workplace: "perform roi and net present value analysis. "

Communication skills. For certain research and development program manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "communication skills." The day-to-day duties of a research and development program manager rely on this skill, as "architectural and engineering managers must effectively convey information and expectations related to projects." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what research and development program managers do: "created vision for unmanaged switch product line refresh program, eight products, and created target customer communication and product identification. "

Organizational skills. Another common skill required for research and development program manager responsibilities is "organizational skills." This skill comes up in the duties of research and development program managers all the time, as "architectural and engineering managers keep track of many workers, schedules, and budgets simultaneously." An excerpt from a real research and development program manager resume shows how this skill is central to what a research and development program manager does: "maintained quality metrics for all product lines and employees and established and executed departmental manpower planning to support the organizational growth. "

See the full list of research and development program manager skills

Compare different research and development program managers

Research and development program 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 program manager salary and compared it with the wages of an engineering supervisor. Generally speaking, engineering supervisors are paid $19,059 lower than research and development program managers per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between research and development program managers and engineering supervisors are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like r, project management, and product development.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a research and development program manager are more likely to require skills like "program management," "portfolio," "fda," and "software development." On the other hand, a job as an engineering supervisor requires skills like "hvac," "plumbing," "preventive maintenance," and "customer service." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

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 program managers make the biggest average salary, $124,401, in the energy industry.On average, engineering supervisors reach lower levels of education than research and development program managers. Engineering supervisors are 12.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 3.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Research and development program 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.

On average, engineering directors earn a $45,658 higher salary than research and development program managers a year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both research and development program managers and engineering directors have skills such as "r," "project management," and "program management. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, research and development program manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "portfolio," "medical devices," "lifecycle management," and "d program." Meanwhile, an engineering director has duties that require skills in areas such as "java," "architecture," "aws," and "customer service." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Engineering directors may earn a higher salary than research and development program managers, but engineering directors earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $164,120. On the other hand, research and development program managers receive higher pay in the energy industry, where they earn an average salary of $124,401.engineering directors earn similar levels of education than research and development program managers in general. They're 4.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Research and development program manager vs. Vice president of engineering

A Vice President Of Engineering manages all aspects of the company's engineering product development activities. They are responsible for strategic planning, production designing, quality assurance, and problem resolution.

On average scale, vice presidents of engineering bring in higher salaries than research and development program managers. In fact, they earn a $34,057 higher salary per year.By looking over several research and development program managers and vice presidents of engineering resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "r," "project management," and "program management." 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 program manager resumes include skills like "portfolio," "medical devices," "lifecycle management," and "d program," whereas a vice president of engineering is more likely to list skills in "architecture," "cloud," "java," and "python. "

Vice presidents of engineering make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $141,200. On the other hand, research and development program managers are paid the highest salary in the energy industry, with average annual pay of $124,401.Most vice presidents of engineering achieve a similar degree level compared to research and development program managers. For example, they're 4.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Research and development program manager 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 typically earn lower pay than research and development program managers. On average, manufacturing engineering managers earn a $4,059 lower salary per year.While both research and development program managers and manufacturing engineering managers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like r, project management, and product development, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A research and development program manager uses "program management," "portfolio," "software development," and "medical devices." Manufacturing engineering managers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "continuous improvement," "lean manufacturing," "lean six sigma," and "process control. "manufacturing engineering managers enjoy the best pay in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $135,554. For comparison, research and development program managers earn the highest salary in the energy industry.manufacturing engineering managers reach lower levels of education compared to research and development program managers, in general. The difference is that they're 8.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 3.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of research and development program 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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