What skills does a research and development manager need?

A research and development manager needs 27 essential skills including intellectual property law, innovation processes, corporate social responsibility, project management, market research. Core competencies include Developing People, Communication, Learning Agility.

Will AI replace research and development manager jobs?

The AI disruption score for research and development manager is 24/100 (low risk). Some tasks may be automated but the role will evolve rather than disappear entirely.

Management & LeadershipAdministrative and commercial managersISCO 1223

research and development manager

Research and development managers coordinate the efforts of scientists, academical researchers, product developers, and market researchers towards the creation of new products, the improvement of current ones or other research activities, including scientific research. They manage and plan research and development activities of an organisation, specify goals and budget requirements and manage the staff.

Do You Have the Skills for This Role?

Core competency requirements inferred from the occupation's skill profile. Take the free assessment to see how you match.

Must-Have Skills (Advanced)

Developing PeopleAdvanced

Supporting Skills

CommunicationIntermediate

Learning AgilityIntermediate

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (27)

intellectual property lawintellectual property lawThe regulations that govern the set of rights protecting products of the intellect from unlawful infringement.innovation processesinnovation processesThe techniques, models, methods and strategies which contribute to the promotion of steps towards innovation.corporate social responsibilitycorporate social responsibilityThe handling or managing of business processes in a responsible and ethical manner considering the economic responsibility towards shareholders as equally important as the responsibility towards envir...project managementproject managementThe discipline of project management, the activities which comprise this area and the variables implied in it, such as time, resources, requirements, deadlines, and responding to unexpected events.market researchmarket researchThe processes, techniques, and purposes comprised in the first step for developing marketing strategies such as the collection of information about customers and the definition of segments and targets...marketing principlesmarketing principlesThe principles of managing the relationship between consumers and products or services for the purpose of increasing sales and improving advertising techniques.industrial research and developmentindustrial research and developmentThe set of activities that companies carry out to do industrial innovation and introduce new engineering products and services or new industrial production processes.carry out strategic researchcarry out strategic researchResearch long term possibilities for improvements and plan steps to achieve them.represent the organisationrepresent the organisationAct as representative of the institution, company or organisation to the outside world.interact professionally in research and professional environmentsinteract professionally in research and professional environmentsShow consideration to others as well as collegiality. Listen, give and receive feedback and respond perceptively to others, also involving staff supervision and leadership in a professional setting.assess the feasibility of implementing developmentsassess the feasibility of implementing developmentsStudy developments and innovation proposals in order to determine their applicability in the business and their feasibility of implementation from various fronts such as economic impact, business imag...manage budgetsmanage budgetsPlan, monitor, report on the budget and prepare set production budgets.speak different languagesspeak different languagesMaster foreign languages to be able to communicate in one or more foreign languages.manage staffmanage staffManage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the wor...analyse business plansanalyse business plansAnalyse the formal statements from businesses which outline their business goals and the strategies they set in place to meet them, in order to assess the feasibility of the plan and verify the busine...analyse internal factors of companiesanalyse internal factors of companiesResearch and understand various internal factors that influence the operation of companies such as its culture, strategic foundation, products, prices, and available resources.think abstractlythink abstractlyDemonstrate the ability to use concepts in order to make and understand generalisations, and relate or connect them to other items, events, or experiences.manage personal professional developmentmanage personal professional developmentTake responsibility for lifelong learning and continuous professional development. Engage in learning to support and update professional competence. Identify priority areas for professional developmen...report analysis resultsreport analysis resultsProduce research documents or give presentations to report the results of a conducted research and analysis project, indicating the analysis procedures and methods which led to the results, as well as...perform project managementperform project managementManage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project's progress in order to achieve a specific g...analyse external factors of companiesanalyse external factors of companiesPerform research and analysis of the external factor pertaining to companies such as consumers, position in the market, competitors, and political situation.identify new business opportunitiesidentify new business opportunitiesPursue potential customers or products in order to generate additional sales and ensure growth.mitigate waste of resourcesmitigate waste of resourcesEvaluate and identify opportunities to use resources more efficiently with continuously striving to reduce waste of utilities.manage research and development projectsmanage research and development projectsPlan, organise, direct and follow up on projects aimed at developing new products, implementing innovative services, or further developing existing ones.synthesise informationsynthesise informationCritically read, interpret, and summarise new and complex information from diverse sources.seek innovation in current practicesseek innovation in current practicesSearch for improvements and present innovative solutions, creativity and alternative thinking to develop new technologies, methods or ideas for and answers to work-related problems.perform market researchperform market researchGather, assess and represent data about target market and customers in order to facilitate strategic development and feasibility studies. Identify market trends.

Optional (52)

wind energywind energyRenewable energy that harnesses the power of wind, transforming air kinetic energy into electrical. Wind energy requires the construction of land or high sea wind farms as the extraction of energy tak...interview techniquesinterview techniquesThe techniques for getting information out of people by asking the right questions in the right way and to make them feel comfortable.funding methodsfunding methodsThe financial possibilities for funding projects such as the traditional ones, namely loans, venture capital, public or private grants up to alternative methods such as crowdfunding.marketing managementmarketing managementThe academic discipline and function in an organisation which focuses on the market research, market development, and the creation of marketing campaigns to raise awareness on the company's services a...risk managementrisk managementThe process of identifying, assessing, and prioritising of all types of risks and where they could come from, such as natural causes, legal changes, or uncertainty in any given context, and the method...cost managementcost managementThe process of planning, monitoring and adjusting the expenses and revenues of a business in order to achieve cost efficiency and capability.commercial lawcommercial lawThe legal regulations that govern a specific commercial activity.sales strategiessales strategiesThe principles concerning customer behaviour and target markets with the aim of promotion and sales of a product or a service.draft scientific or academic papers and technical documentationdraft scientific or academic papers and technical documentationDraft and edit scientific, academic or technical texts on different subjects.manage research datamanage research dataProduce and analyse scientific data originating from qualitative and quantitative research methods. Store and maintain the data in research databases. Support the re-use of scientific data and be fami...analyse market financial trendsanalyse market financial trendsMonitor and forecast the tendencies of a financial market to move in a particular direction over time.plan product managementplan product managementManage the scheduling of procedures which aim to maximise sales objectives, such as forecasting market trends, product placement, and sales planning.disseminate results to the scientific communitydisseminate results to the scientific communityPublicly disclose scientific results by any appropriate means, including conferences, workshops, colloquia and scientific publications.operate open source softwareoperate open source softwareOperate Open Source software, knowing the main Open Source models, licensing schemes, and the coding practices commonly adopted in the production of Open Source software.evaluate research activitiesevaluate research activitiesReview proposals, progress, impact and outcomes of peer researchers, including through open peer review.contact scientistscontact scientistsListen, reply, and establish a fluid communication relationship with scientists in order to extrapolate their findings and information into a varied array of applications including business and indust...develop product policiesdevelop product policiesCreate product policies oriented around customers.demonstrate disciplinary expertisedemonstrate disciplinary expertiseDemonstrate deep knowledge and complex understanding of a specific research area, including responsible research, research ethics and scientific integrity principles, privacy and GDPR requirements, re...teach in academic or vocational contextsteach in academic or vocational contextsInstruct students in the theory and practice of academic or vocational subjects, transferring the content of own and others' research activities.increase the impact of science on policy and societyincrease the impact of science on policy and societyInfluence evidence-informed policy and decision making by providing scientific input to and maintaining professional relationships with policymakers and other stakeholders.manage findable accessible interoperable and reusable datamanage findable accessible interoperable and reusable dataProduce, describe, store, preserve and (re) use scientific data based on FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles, making data as open as possible, and as closed as necessar...perform scientific researchperform scientific researchGain, correct or improve knowledge about phenomena by using scientific methods and techniques, based on empirical or measurable observations.create a financial plancreate a financial planDevelop a financial plan according to financial and client regulations, including an investor profile, financial advice, and negotiation and transaction plans.apply for research fundingapply for research fundingIdentify key relevant funding sources and prepare research grant application in order to obtain funds and grants. Write research proposals.analyse economic trendsanalyse economic trendsAnalyse developments in national or international trade, business relations, banking, and developments in public finance and how these factors interact with one another in a given economic context.interview peopleinterview peopleInterview people in a range of different circumstances.ensure finished product meet requirementsensure finished product meet requirementsEnsure that finished products meet or exceed company specifications.identify customer's needsidentify customer's needsUse appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.analyse consumer buying trendsanalyse consumer buying trendsAnalyse buying habits or currently prevalent customer behaviour.apply scientific methodsapply scientific methodsApply scientific methods and techniques to investigate phenomena, by acquiring new knowledge or correcting and integrating previous knowledge.keep updated on innovations in various business fieldskeep updated on innovations in various business fieldsBe informed and acquainted with innovations and trends in different industrial and business fields for application in business development.apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activitiesapply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activitiesApply fundamental ethical principles and legislation to scientific research, including issues of research integrity. Perform, review, or report research avoiding misconducts such as fabrication, falsi...promote open innovation in researchpromote open innovation in researchApply techniques, models, methods and strategies which contribute to the promotion of steps towards innovation through collaboration with people and organizations outside the organisation.conduct research interviewconduct research interviewUse professional researching and interviewing methods and techniques to gather relevant data, facts or information, to gain new insights and to fully comprehend the message of the interviewee.collaborate with engineerscollaborate with engineersWork closely and communicate with engineers on designs or new products.publish academic researchpublish academic researchConduct academic research, in universities and research institutions, or on a personal account, publish it in books or academic journals with the aim of contributing to a field of expertise and achiev...promote the transfer of knowledgepromote the transfer of knowledgeDeploy broad awareness of processes of knowledge valorisation aimed to maximise the two–way flow of technology, intellectual property, expertise and capability between the research base and industry o...mentor individualsmentor individualsMentor individuals by providing emotional support, sharing experiences and giving advice to the individual to help them in their personal development, as well as adapting the support to the specific n...integrate shareholders' interests in business plansintegrate shareholders' interests in business plansListen to the perspectives, interests, and vision of the owners of the company in order to translate those guidelines into pragmatic business actions and plans.apply blended learningapply blended learningBe familiar with blended learning tools by combining traditional face-to-face and online learning, using digital tools, online technologies, and e-learning methods.write scientific publicationswrite scientific publicationsPresent the hypothesis, findings, and conclusions of your scientific research in your field of expertise in a professional publication.develop professional network with researchers and scientistsdevelop professional network with researchers and scientistsDevelop alliances, contacts or partnerships, and exchange information with others. Foster integrated and open collaborations where different stakeholders co-create shared value research and innovation...integrate gender dimension in researchintegrate gender dimension in researchTake into account in the whole research process the biological characteristics and the evolving social and cultural features of women and men (gender).provide improvement strategiesprovide improvement strategiesIdentify root causes of problems and submit proposals for effective and long-term solutions.assist scientific researchassist scientific researchAssist engineers or scientists with conducting experiments, performing analysis, developing new products or processes, constructing theory, and quality control.manage open publicationsmanage open publicationsBe familiar with Open Publication strategies, with the use of information technology to support research, and with the development and management of CRIS (current research information systems) and ins...analyse financial riskanalyse financial riskIdentify and analyse risks that could impact an organisation or individual financially, such as credit and market risks, and propose solutions to cover against those risks.keep up with trendskeep up with trendsMonitor and follow new trends and developments in specific sectors.analyse production processes for improvementanalyse production processes for improvementAnalyse production processes leading toward improvement. Analyse in order to reduce production losses and overall manufacturing costs.conduct research across disciplinesconduct research across disciplinesWork and use research findings and data across disciplinary and/or functional boundaries.develop product designdevelop product designConvert market requirements into product design and development.communicate with a non-scientific audiencecommunicate with a non-scientific audienceCommunicate about scientific findings to a non-scientific audience, including the general public. Tailor the communication of scientific concepts, debates, findings to the audience, using a variety of...