Research and Development Manager
A research and development manager runs the scientific and technical programmes that turn an organisation's research into products and processes it can use.
- Median salary
- $150,100
3.8%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 20,500
2.0%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +22.8%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 44/wk
+4h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Research and development managers lead the programmes that sit between a research idea and something an organisation can sell, license or put into service. They work in manufacturing, pharmaceutical and technology companies, government agencies and universities, and most of the week goes to priorities, budgets and people rather than bench work. The role differs from a project manager's because the manager also decides what is worth researching in the first place.
How much do research and development managers earn?
The median full-time salary for a research and development manager is $150,100 per annum, before tax, up $31,000 since 2018.
Pay rises with the size of the research budget and the sector: pharmaceutical, medical technology and resources employers typically pay more than public research agencies and universities. Bonuses tied to product milestones, patents or commercial outcomes are common in industry, so total earnings can sit well above base salary. Almost all of these roles are full time, and the week stretches during a programme milestone.
What does a research and development manager do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Setting the research priorities that decide which projects go ahead
- Managing budgets, timelines and staff across several scientific or engineering teams
- Leading scientists, engineers and technicians and reviewing their work as a programme progresses
- Judging the feasibility, cost and commercial potential of a new product or process
- Reporting to executives and keeping safety, ethics and regulatory approvals on track
What skills do research and development managers need?
Employers look for project management, strategy development, budgeting and forecasting, backed by Jira fluency and strong people leadership.
Specialist skills
- Project management
- Strategy development
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Process improvement
- Risk and internal controls
Software and tools
- Jira
- Microsoft Project
- Benchling
- Python
- SAP
General skills
- People leadership
- Stakeholder management
Is the job growing?
About 20,500 people work as research and development managers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 22.8% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become a research and development manager?
Here's the path most research and development managers take, step by step.
- 1Complete a science or engineering degree
Chemistry, biology, materials science, engineering and computer science are the usual starting points, and the field you study tends to shape the industry you later manage research in. About 36% of the people in the role hold a bachelor degree as their highest qualification.
- 2Add postgraduate study
A masters or PhD is common in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and university settings, and research experience during that study often becomes the first evidence that you can run a project. Around 48% of research and development managers hold a postgraduate qualification.
- 3Work in research or engineering first
Several years doing the science gives you the technical judgement the job depends on, and it is usually where you first lead a small team or a workstream.
- 4Move into programme leadership
Managing a budget and a programme that spans several teams is the step that separates this job from senior technical work. Short courses and certifications in project management, such as those from AIPM or PMI, are useful at this point.
- 5Broaden into commercial and business skills
An MBA or a management course helps if you want to move towards general management or executive roles, where the research portfolio becomes one part of a larger operation.
Ready to apply as a research and development manager?
Whether you're working toward becoming a research and development manager or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a research and development manager move to?
Moving into Chief Executive Officer typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $31,900 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Executive Officer An R&D manager brings strategic research and innovation oversight to executive leadership of an organisation.Known move | +$31,900 | 50% | short course |
| University Lecturer An R&D manager brings research leadership and industry project experience to academic teaching and research.Known move | +$1,900 | 0% | requalify |
| General Manager An R&D manager brings scientific project leadership and team management to general business management.Known move | −$1,900 | 33% | reskill |
| Project Director An R&D manager brings programme management and scientific direction to directing large-scale projects. | −$1,900 | 74% | minimal |
| Project Manager An R&D manager brings research programme coordination and delivery expertise to managing client projects.Known move | −$39,300 | 42% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a research and development manager?
The typical research and development manager is 48 years old; 54% are women, 87% work full-time, and full-timers average 44 hours a week.
- 48
- Median age
- 54%
- Female share
- 87%
- Full-time
- +4h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a research and development manager?
The job alternates between quiet planning and intense stretches when a programme reaches a milestone or a funding decision falls due. Much of the week goes to budgets, steering committees and other people's problems rather than your own experiments, which suits someone who enjoys seeing a result arrive through a team. The hard part is being accountable for outcomes you do not produce yourself, and having to stop projects as often as you start them.
What people like
- You set the research agenda. Deciding which questions are worth funding shapes several years of work, and that judgement sits with you rather than with a committee.
- You watch ideas become products. A process, a device or a patent that reaches the market carries the early decisions you argued for.
- The work crosses disciplines. A single programme can involve chemists, engineers, regulatory specialists and commercial staff, so the week rarely settles into one subject.
- You build researchers. The scientists and engineers you develop often go on to lead their own programmes, which is a visible result of the role.
What people find hard
- Cancelling work people believe in. Stopping a project that will not pay off is part of the job, and it usually means telling a team that has spent years on it.
- Meetings crowd out the science. Budgets, steering committees and executive updates take the time many managers would rather spend close to the technical work.
- You answer for work you did not do. When a programme slips or a trial fails, the explanation is expected from you rather than from the team that missed the milestone.
- Funding is decided elsewhere. Budgets are set annually and can be cut when a company's priorities shift, so plans beyond a year or two are hard to hold to.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ research and development managers?
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services employs the largest share of research and development managers, followed by Public Administration and Safety.
Top employing industries
- 1Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 2Public Administration and Safety
- 3Manufacturing
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Postgraduate | 47.5% | |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor degree | 35.6% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 6.6% | |
| Year 12 or below | 4.9% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 3.8% |
Will AI replace research and development managers?
This role sits low on AI exposure because the job rests on funding decisions and leading specialists rather than producing documents. AI has already changed the research itself: literature reviews, data screening and compound modelling that once took weeks now happen in hours, and managers are expected to know which tools are worth the licence fee. What has not changed is who decides which programmes to fund and which to close.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Leading teams and choosing which projects continueFunding decisions, defending a programme to executives and holding a team together after a failed trial are conversations no tool takes over.50%low
- Analysing trial and experimental dataPython scripts and machine learning models flag patterns in lab and trial results, but interpreting those patterns and deciding what to do next remains a judgement call.25%moderate
- Literature reviews and competitor scansAI search and summarisation tools now cover in an afternoon what once took a researcher weeks, so the manager reviews the conclusions rather than gathering the papers.15%high
- Programme reporting and documentationDraft updates for executives, funding bodies and regulators are increasingly generated automatically, though the manager still signs off on what the numbers mean.10%high
Common questions about becoming a research and development manager
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much does a research and development manager earn?
The median for full-time research and development managers is $150,100 per year before tax. Industry roles often add a bonus tied to product milestones or patents, while pay in universities and public research agencies follows enterprise agreements.
How do you become a research and development manager?
The usual route is a science or engineering degree, several years in research or technical work, and then responsibility for a team or a programme. A postgraduate qualification helps in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and university settings.
Are research and development managers in demand?
Research and development managers are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 22.8% over the decade to 2035. The work sits mainly in professional, scientific and technical services, manufacturing and public administration, so hiring follows investment in those industries.
Will AI replace research and development managers?
AI does not replace the role, though it has taken over literature searches, data screening and parts of reporting, and managers are expected to use those tools rather than avoid them. When a compound fails a late-stage trial, deciding whether to reformulate, run another cohort or stop the programme is still made in a room with the chemists, clinicians and finance staff, not by a model.
What can a research and development manager move into?
A project director role uses the same programme management and scientific judgement and pays $1,900 less. Moving into general management ($1,900 less) trades some of the science for operational responsibility across a business, and that path can lead to a chief executive role ($31,900 more). Each of these keeps the leadership side of the work and gives up more of the technical detail.
Do you need a PhD to be a research and development manager?
Not always. About 48% of the people in the role hold a postgraduate qualification, which describes the current workforce rather than a requirement, and a bachelor degree in a science or engineering field is what most employers expect as a minimum.
Related roles
- University Lecturer
- General Manager
- Project Manager
- Chief Executive Officer
- Project Director
- University Lecturer
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