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STEM

Research and development manager

Research and development (R&D) managers lead teams of scientists and engineers to create new products and improve existing ones.

Annual Salary

£25,000 to £65,000

Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

37 to 39 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends; away from home

2.4%
Future employment

There will be 2.4% more Research and development manager jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

Your day-to-day duties may include:

  • recruiting staff
  • assessing staff performance
  • coordinating the team’s work
  • analysing data and presenting results
  • making sure work meets safety standards and other relevant legislation
  • managing budgets
  • reporting to senior managers

Working environment

You could work at a university, in a laboratory or in a factory.

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
University

You'll need a degree or postgraduate qualification to become a research and development manager. The subject you take will depend on which research area you want to work in but common examples include:

  • engineering
  • science
  • medicine
  • healthcare
  • mathematics

You'll also need several years' relevant experience in industry, with an understanding of research methods, data analysis and development processes.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study
For more information

More information

Professional and industry bodies

You'll usually be a member of a professional body relevant to your particular line of work.

Further information

You can get an overview of research and development across different industries from UK Research and Innovation.

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With experience in industry, you could become a senior project manager or research director.

In higher education, you could become a senior research fellow or professor.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • thinking and reasoning skills
  • the ability to read English
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • maths knowledge
  • analytical thinking skills
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • active listening skills
  • excellent written communication skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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