How to hire a research manager

How to hire a research manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step research manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a research manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new research manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a research manager do?

Post a research manager job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your research manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a research manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A research manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, research managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents research manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of Research Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Research Manager	Market research analysts study market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. They help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price.	$24-63
   Marketing Consultant	A marketing consultant is responsible for utilizing their extensive retail expertise to develop strategies on how to strengthen client base and achieve better sales. Furthermore, a marketing consultant must perform research and analysis to determine opportunities for financial gains, devise plans to improve client satisfaction, assess the competition, look out for any risks, and develop its brand and image... Show more	$21-53
   Marketing Representative	A marketing representative's responsibilities will vary on the line of work or industry. However, it is the role of a marketing representative to engage with clients and secure sales by promoting, demonstrating, and even advertising products or services... Show more	$13-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Market Research
   • Analytics
   • Quantitative Research
   • Data Analysis
   • Patients
   • Data Collection
   • Project Management
   • Research Studies
   • PowerPoint
   • Facebook
   • Research Design
   • SPSS
   • Research Findings
   • Oversight

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage IRB submissions and complete all IRB requirements in conjunction with the HICCC s regulatory department.
   • Lead social path-to-purchase study, incorporating social media analytics into insight community to identify spectrum of social engagement among customers.
   • Conduct QA for time and testing of products.
   • Implement document data extraction through online web-base research and sources.
   • Direct analytical and logistician research teams to produce in-depth studies and analyses on logistics, maintenance and transportation issues.
   • Coordinate communications with the IRB, NIH and other institutional entities that fund, support, collaborate and regulate research.

   More research manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your research manager job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A research manager can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, research managers' average salary in kentucky is 55% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level research managers 62% less than senior-level research managers.
   • Certifications. A research manager with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a research manager's salary.

   Average research manager salary

   $82,894yearly

   $39.85 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level research manager salary

   $51,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 25, 2025

   Average research manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$123,095	$59
   2	Washington	$120,661	$58
   3	New Jersey	$100,877	$49
   4	Massachusetts	$91,354	$44
   5	Delaware	$91,083	$44
   6	New York	$90,706	$44
   7	Oregon	$87,536	$42
   8	District of Columbia	$87,347	$42
   9	Virginia	$85,755	$41
   10	Connecticut	$84,106	$40
   11	Arizona	$83,778	$40
   12	Maryland	$82,844	$40
   13	Ohio	$81,919	$39
   14	Minnesota	$79,144	$38
   15	Pennsylvania	$78,877	$38
   16	Texas	$78,404	$38
   17	Illinois	$76,238	$37
   18	Colorado	$75,028	$36
   19	Indiana	$69,517	$33
   20	Georgia	$65,543	$32

   Average research manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$200,022	$96.16	491
   2	Lyft	$194,510	$93.51
   3	Apple	$188,637	$90.69	52
   4	McKinsey & Company Inc	$179,296	$86.20
   5	Zoox	$176,689	$84.95	2
   6	DLA Piper	$175,763	$84.50	1
   7	Didi Chuxing	$174,319	$83.81
   8	eBay	$173,757	$83.54	4
   9	Bain & Company	$167,061	$80.32	3
   10	Amazon	$166,740	$80.16	77
   11	The Knot	$165,956	$79.79
   12	Credit Karma	$165,391	$79.51
   13	Twitter	$161,475	$77.63
   14	Microsoft	$159,724	$76.79	221
   15	The Aspen Institute	$149,529	$71.89
   16	Sony Interactive Entertainment America	$149,501	$71.88
   17	Amd	$147,415	$70.87	3
   18	Palo Alto Networks	$146,804	$70.58	16
   19	Yahoo	$146,122	$70.25
   20	APCO Worldwide	$142,300	$68.41

4. Writing a research manager job description

   A research manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a research manager job description:

   Research manager job description example

   #LI-DJ1

   Requirements

   Required Education/Experience:
   - Master's degree in scientific, medical specialty or equivalent- Minimum three years experience in a clinical study data environment to include experience with randomized clinical trials, participation in multicenter studies and registries, observational studies utilizing electronic data capture, and other data capture systems- Supervisory experience/skills.

   Required Credentials:
   - N/A

   Preferred:
   - PhD or advanced degree in scientific, medical specialty or equivalent.- Experience leading data management process development and quality assurance efforts including development and implementation of standard operating procedures.- Experience with clinical trial management systems (CTMS) and other databases including REDCap-- Able to lead, guide, coordinate and facilitate strategic planning processes.- Succesful grant writing efforts - Experience using continuous process improvement (CPI) methodologies

   In accordance with new Washington law for healthcare workers, Seattle Children's requires that all staff be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 on or before October 18, 2021, or before beginning employment for start dates after October 18th.

   About Us

   Hope. Care. Cure. These three simple words capture what we do at Seattle Children's -- to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible. Are you ready to engage with a mission-driven organization that is life-changing to many, and touches the hearts of all? #HOPECARECURE

   Our founding promise to the community is as valid today as it was over a century ago: we will care for all children in our region, regardless of the families' ability to pay. Together, we deliver superior patient care, advance new discoveries and treatments through pediatric research, and serve as the pediatric and adolescent, academic medical center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho - the largest region of any children's hospital in the country.

   In 2022, U.S. News & World Report once again ranked Seattle Children's among the nation's best children's hospitals - for the 30th year in a row. For more than a decade, Seattle Children's has been nationally ranked in all 10 specialty areas evaluated by U.S. News & World Report. We are honored to be the top-ranked pediatric hospital in Washington and the Pacific Northwest.

   As a Magnet designated institution, and classified among America's best large employers by Forbes, we recognize the importance of hiring and developing great talent to provide best-in-class care to the patients and families we serve. Our organizational DNA takes form in our core values: Compassion, Excellence, Integrity, Collaboration, Equity and Innovation. Whether it's delivering frontline care to our patients in a kind and caring manner, practicing the highest standards of quality and safety, or being relentlessly curious as we work towards eradicating childhood diseases, these values are the fabric of our culture and community. The future starts here.

   Covid-19 VaccinationIn accordance with Washington state law, Seattle Children's requires that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. All offers are contingent and your vaccine status will be verified at onboarding.Our Commitment to Diversity

   Our community welcomes diverse experiences, backgrounds, and thoughts as this is what drives our spirit of inquiry and allows us to better connect with our increasingly diverse patients and families. Our organization recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

   The people who work at Seattle Children's are members of a community that seeks to respect and celebrate all the qualities that make each of us unique. Each of us is empowered to be ourselves within this community, which cultivates and promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion at all levels.

   Seattle Children's is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Workplace and Affirmative Action Employer.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right research manager for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   To find research manager candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit research managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new research manager

   Once you've found the research manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new research manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a research manager?