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Research team leader vs research consultant

The differences between research team leaders and research consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a research team leader and a research consultant. Additionally, a research team leader has an average salary of $100,872, which is higher than the $83,492 average annual salary of a research consultant.

The top three skills for a research team leader include data analysis, data collection and R. The most important skills for a research consultant are data collection, medicaid, and business development.

Research team leader vs research consultant overview

Research Team LeaderResearch Consultant
Yearly salary$100,872$83,492
Hourly rate$48.50$40.14
Growth rate19%19%
Number of jobs117,57561,865
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age3737
Years of experience66

What does a research team leader do?

A research team leader assists the project directors in defining the objectives, strategies, responsibilities, and tasks for the team members. They also guarantee that all the research is done correctly and promptly to ensure objectives are met. They also ensure all the activities are limited to the annual or project budget.

What does a research consultant do?

A research consultant is an individual who is responsible for collecting and analyzing multiple types of data across a variety of formats and present research reports for research and analytics companies, public institutions, and private businesses. Research consultants are required to design research strategies to complete the needs of research projects as well as create a basic plan of action for finding data. They may use online resources, phone surveys, and other data-collection methods to find and collect data. Research consultants must also assign investigative teams to verify and double-check the collected data.

Research team leader vs research consultant salary

Research team leaders and research consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Research Team LeaderResearch Consultant
Average salary$100,872$83,492
Salary rangeBetween $65,000 And $156,000Between $60,000 And $115,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateNew JerseyNew York
Best paying companyMcKinsey & Company IncMicrosoft
Best paying industryProfessionalEducation

Differences between research team leader and research consultant education

There are a few differences between a research team leader and a research consultant in terms of educational background:

Research Team LeaderResearch Consultant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorBusinessPsychology
Most common collegeUniversity of GeorgiaUniversity of Georgia

Research team leader vs research consultant demographics

Here are the differences between research team leaders' and research consultants' demographics:

Research Team LeaderResearch Consultant
Average age3737
Gender ratioMale, 54.2% Female, 45.8%Male, 48.2% Female, 51.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.1% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.0% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between research team leader and research consultant duties and responsibilities

Research team leader example responsibilities.

  • Develop and implement strategic merchandising plans to achieve revenue objectives and reduce expenditures while ensuring payroll remains within budget.
  • Prepare agenda for IRB meeting.
  • Conduct research for FDA and FDA associate companies.
  • Utilize SPSS to analyze survey data and gain meaningful insights for new and existing EDMC program and product strategy.
  • Recode variables collect and analyze data on SPSS to determine if there are significant correlations
  • Provide continuous service by assisting customers to troubleshoot voice and data communications equipment and support of contingency planning for service interruptions.
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Research consultant example responsibilities.

  • Lead research team in IRB transition from traditional hard copy submission to electronic submission.
  • Develop an SQL solution to automate performance attribution reports.
  • Attain and practice medical insurance information rapidly and correctly; including main carriers and Medicaid.
  • Design and oversee implementation of decision-analytic models and database analyses using SAS, SPSS, and STATA.
  • Pull, merge data by using SAS, and assign tags.
  • Isolate, purify and quantify DNA from human blood.
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Research team leader vs research consultant skills

Common research team leader skills
  • Data Analysis, 14%
  • Data Collection, 12%
  • R, 12%
  • Institutional Review, 8%
  • FDA, 4%
  • Market Research, 4%
Common research consultant skills
  • Data Collection, 12%
  • Medicaid, 8%
  • Business Development, 6%
  • Study Design, 5%
  • Data Analysis, 5%
  • Survey Design, 5%

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